Most people still use cars! Do not reduce downtown parking, but increase it if anything. At busy times it's hard to find a paring space. There are not that many bikers. The bubble corners may look good on paper, but not in real life. Bubbling out a couple feet wouldn't be bad, but several feet like now creates more of a problem for cars, especially longer vehicles, and more dangerous for walkers and bikes. They are now closer to traffic giving less time and distance for either party to react.
we like biking and walking downtown, safety becomes an issue, maybe close off partial street? Improve parking, smooth Foothill for biking, improve infrastructure for car alternatives.
I think that the way to expand safe routes to schools is to build some sidewalks, and as a parent who raised tiny children here, I think it would go a long way to making it safer to play out front with young children, which fosters neighborly communication. The more we can encourage bikes and discourage cars, the better for our planet and our health. I think micro-transit (whatever that is) and shuttle service would be lovely, but I doubt it is feasible to do it well without spending a ton of money. Expanding access to autonomous vehicles is at the bottom of the list because the city doesn't need to do that, the profit motive will propel Waymo or whoever to do it. Furthermore, it looks like it is worse for the environment because of all the empty cars driving around.
If you want to get rid of downtown parking, you need to build and successfully launch a non-individual vehicle transit option first The world is changing. Los Altos needs to embrace biking and Waymo and let go of their parking obsession which the State has declared surplus land Roads are terrible, lights take forever to change.
A free shuttle circling around downtown would be nice
Safety, especially for cyclists and pedestrians, is a top priority for me.
I'm tired of Los Altos not prioritizing Safe Routes to Schools and not improving roadway and intersection safety for children walking & riding to school.
Plus, as a cyclist you have to constantly be monitoring what drivers are doing! E-bikes have become problematic (and even young adults in their 20s feel this way) - the lack of respect & following traffic regulations is truly scary for drivers and regular cyclists.
This fixation on parking lots downtown has to stop...
Safety for pedestrians and bikers allows for less use of vehicles for transportation Maintain existing downtown surface parking.
parking parking parking. if you want people to come to downtown, it needs to be easy to park Not enough parking in downtown
i would love to have walkable public transit. since that would be years in the making, affordable community transit is the next best. as a cyclist myself, safety of cyclists is a priority for me; similarly for our younger citizenry Mostly I want to de-prioritize the constant attempts to over-design intersection and road constraints in the name of safety improvements. many of these proposed changes would reduce the quality of life for everyday living and getting around in Los Altos.
This survey is a hassle on a phone!
Want to expand mobility for seniors
It's important to prioritize safety above convenience.
Bikes and active transportation are the future! Look to Stanford — the whole campus is nearly the size of North Los Altos, and everyone gets around by bike. There are no excuses; it works!
I enjoy biking more than driving
There are more seniors in Los Altos and finding safe ways for them to get around will keep them engaged and active. Shuttles like Mountain View has would be beneficial, as would Waymo. This would also relieve some of the pressure on downtown parking spaces Adding ways for people to move around, besides using a personal car would bring people to more parts of the city. Kids and seniors can/will bike only so far, but improve that too.
there are some very dangerous intersections that threaten pedestrian and biker safety. in particular the approach of the Edith/Los Altos Ave intersection from Los Altos Ave southbound on the approach to turn right onto Foothill Expwy is a fatality waiting to happen, please put a "no right turn on red" sign there and remove the slip lane entirely.
Flashing lights cause driver stress. Bulbous curbs and speed bumps destroy cars. Eliminating right turn lanes exacerbates traffic congestion.
No more "traffic-calming" changes, please.
No more flashing cross-walks and flashing speed limit signs.
No more elimination of right turn lanes.
No housing unit growth without adding road capacity.
Would like to reduce car traffic.
I'd like to see Los Altos -- to the extent this is possible in a somewhat sprawly suburb -- become much less dependent on autos for short trips. safe intersection. Bikers often don't follow traffic rules! I do love the stop signs that were put in but honestly I do not really car about the above Autonomous vechicles are already here so don't need priority. Safe routes to school are mportant always.
Downtown parking is completely over-prioritized.
Cut off cars from State and Main while leaving 1st, 2nd, 3rd as thru routes? It is plenty easy to bike through Los Altos.
Micro-transit, busing is a good idea, especially to reduce or parking at schools. Get rid of all no parking signs near schools or put them throughout city.
Current scheme is loudest whiner pushes parking down the street. it makes sense to me
Ugh. I have the same problem with this question. The only item in this list that I feel passionate about is to make Los Altos more friendly and safer for bikers… but I see that recently some soft posts have been installed toward this goal, so *yeah* We need to keep downtown parking to make it attractive for people to shop and eat downtown. It should be safe for those who wish to walk or bike to town.
1-cars are still the #1 way to get from the hills to downtown and they need to park easily or they will go elsewhere to shop
2-Autonomous vehicles and bikes are right behind and should be supported To keep a small town feel we need less cars downtown. Adding parking only encourages more traffic and congestion while making it less safe for Access and safety
Reduction of carbon, traffic, pollution.
If you make it easier and safer to bike, it will be easy to fit the needed bike parking downtown as bikes are much smaller than cars and each car space can fit many bikes. Bike lanes also serve mobility device users so that they can navigate the city without the need for an additional vehicle. There should also be alternative options for those who are not able to bike, walk, or use a mobility device- shuttles and bus services to help people get around without needing a car.
We live only 1.5 miles from downtown but it's not safe for my kids to bike to downtown because Cuesta is the main artery and it's not safe for them to bike on the street there (no bike lane). It's also not safe for them to bike on Foothill given they're just kids. We need better ways for all of our neighborhoods to get to our downtown/library/community center without relying solely on cars. I'm open to having shuttles or autonomous cars shuttling people around if that makes financial sense.
I enjoy biking and would like to have my kids bike to school more, but crossing Foothill to get to school is challenging.
Road maintenance is the key to safe travels around the town I prefer a walkable community. I love walking to businesses in South / Mid Los Altos - Loyola Corners and Rancho Shopping Center. we've already overallocated land to parking. don't worsen that problem by building more parking.
Cycling should be the most promoted transportation form for fun and zero emissions. Make it safe.
Retaining our parking plazas is my number one priority. Easy accessible parking is essential. We don't need another park. Lincoln park is just fine. Spend money on improving the parks we already have.
The current development trend is making it a hazard to walk or bike in our neighborhoods Supports my point on page 1. I live in south los altos. Often programs don’t include our area and only downtown area. Define micro transit? Is this just downtown or all of los altos?what would the propose route? Drivers are really sloppy about observing stop signs. Could we start ticketing them? I don’t think the parking is that bad, and parking problems can be alleviated by encouraging alternative means of transit Quality of life and environment
I am more concerned about the walking heart of Los Altos. We need key parking areas but we don't need to park in front of the door. Areas like the post office and pack and ship need adequate parking. Safeway is amazing with their Making downtown less busy should be the priority. It has gotten too busy. And bicyclists have gotten out of hand. e-bikes should be banned.
Adding parking encourages congestion and discourages walking and making walkable areas. we are still a car driven society, many people in Los Altos do not have time or ability to bike to town to shop or visit Prioritize healthy life style.
While transitioning to more and more mass transit, biking, etc., we need to make it possible for enough people from surrounding communities to park downtown to keep stores and restaurants in business.
Los Altos is too dependent on cars despite having the potential to be a very walkable and bikeable area. We should make it more walkable and bikeable. Not on the list and likely overly ambitious -- I wish Los Altos had much better access to mass transit.
I like to bike and kids will be in local schools for another decade Other than insure downtown parking, the other items are difficult to achieve. The recent mods to S. El Monte make it difficult for cars to turn on or exit from El Monte. Someone will run into the dividers soon. There is no way to improve the traffic situation without more roads, and there is no way that will happen. Since the city will not be able to reign in the electric bikes, there will be a lot more accidents no matter what is done to bike lanes.
Although we can walk to downtown, our restaurants and stores need people from surrounding communities to thrive. While we support alternative transit options, the reality is that private automobiles are still the dominant form of transit and we need to work with that while trying to shift more of the transit share to other options.
Foothill, El Camino, Covington, Cuesta, Almond, and Marich offer good northwest/southeast connections. San Antonio, Grant, and Springer need better bike lanes for North/South connections to reduce traffic and pollution. Even the flyer for the survey had to use a photo of a bike path from Maryland, so we definitely need more bike access and safety in Los Altos.
We love the downtown parking lots and do not want to see them reduced So many people un red lights and stop signs on El Monte, Foothill, Cuesta, etc. Its dangerous to drive no less ride a bike.
I think vehicles will continue to be the dominant form of transportation for the majority. So concentrate more on improving vehicular transport and safety.
And provide enough parking spaces!! We are not going to be using bicycles for much of anything other than recreation.
Make walking & biking just as safe and efficient as driving, instead of risky & unpleasant. Parking is already more than adequate. Don't subsidize drivers - add parking meters downtown so that city can recover some of the lost revenue from that wasted space.
We will not get adults on bikes in mass. Stop wasting energy on that.
There's not enough parking downtown!
still too many options -- do not fit on a screen --
The geography and weather in Los Altos is perfect for biking, it just needs to be safer Again, ALL good choices. We live in North LA and do feel that there is both a geographic and psychological split between NLA and SLA, but maybe they just more like separate communities sharing a name?
You forgot walking! My top priority is improving the walkable areas and walking safety. As a pedestrian it is not always safe to share the road with cars in Los Altos neighborhoods
We need better sidewalks. Walkers are competing with ebikes to walk on shoulders which is not safe.
Post 3:00pm traffic is back to pre-pandemic gridlock. Children and the elderly are increasingly at risk. Shuttles are great but not realistic in our community.
Los Altos should be walkable and bikeable safely.
We definitely need to maintain our parking downtown. I've almost been run over by multiple autonomous vehicles near or in downtown, so I'd like them minimized for a few years until the technology is more reliable and stable.
I would love to see more bikes in Los Altos, though I am past being able to ride myself. Safety at intersections and for students on their way to school should be a priority, no matter what the mode of transport. (I don't know if folks would use "micro-transits and shuttles, but I bet they would use school buses. Bring them back!
Los Altos is very walkable so preserving pedestrian safety as well as driver safety is important.
We attend Loyola, and it feels like playing frogger on our walk to school. Crossing many streets including 2 yields during rush hour is anxiety-provoking, and while there are crossing guards for two of the main streets, some are particularly lackluster. My kids dream of biking to school on their own, yet I don’t yet trust the drivers or intersection management to encourage that independence. I adore the bike parking at events downtown, and it seems well-utilized. I think there’s a lot of benefit to continuing to making biking a great part of our mobility strategy. Coupled with biking, AVs are convenient and likely reduce parking demand, especially if there is additional investment in bringing any tech companies to the downtown area. I’m generally a fan of public transit, yet I know VTA doesn’t prioritize our relatively sparsely populated service area. Microtransit, while seemingly promising, tends to be wildly inefficient and extremely high-cost per passenger mile. Finally, I appreciate easy parking downtown, but it feels inefficient and dangerous for pedestrians to have so many large, street-level lots running through the heart of downtown. While costly, some parking consolidation and centralization seems like it could encourage more foot traffic and time spent downtown, which would yield economic returns as well as increased community engagement.
Promoting a vital downtown will expand our tax base. It will help to pay for other important projects.
I’m not sure I care too much on this. I will say the white barriers at Hawthorne and El Monte are absolutely horrible. They are going to cause more accidents as cars can barely turn and navigate around them. I think they need to be removed immediately The future is autonomous vehicles, not driving our cars and parking ourselves for every trip. safety for kids and seniors is our responsibility
I like as is.
Autonomous vehicles are way of the future
Parking in downtown is challenging at times. I do enjoy the parklets.
Our current roads, bike lanes, and access is generally acceptable. There are not clear areas I would prioritize.
Improving north-south connections will bring more commute traffic that use Los Altos to pass through. Keep the traffic on Foothill Expressway, 280, 101, and El Camino.
Be smart and frugal regarding providing necessary downtown parking. Don't take away existing parking space for new housing or buildings, and avoid new underground or high-rise parking. Regarding bike paths, for safety focus on keeping bicyclists off major thoroughfares and narrow heavily travelled streets/roads.
Things work pretty well as they are.
Parking in Los Altos is already a problem. People will stop visiting downtown if this continues or gets worse. Roads need to be maintained on a regular basis. The safe routes to school with all the ugly bollards and over the top road paint is unnecessary, expensive and not necessary. Now bikes are given more priority than cars or pedestrians.
We need electric public transportation for all ages from train to town and school age children getting to school If parking is not convenient, people will go elsewhere. A shuttle around bringing more people to downtown would be good. Not everyone is close to the Village due to the shape of Los Altos.
I just need to think you need to improve road and intersection safety and skip the rest.
Prioritize the future of our community through its children, while honoring and supporting long-standing residents, especially seniors.
Keeping kids safe is always important so put that at the top. Parking has become a problem downtown (never used to be). Expanding autonomous vehicles is an interesting idea and as I get older would be a nice amenity. Lastly improving roadway safety is also important although not sure I agree with some of the improvements that have been done over the last few years (e.g. Jardin parking had to be redone?).
Prioritize the future of our community through its children, while honoring and supporting long-standing residents, especially seniors.
Bikers have a disproportionate say in community affairs-sorry, California was built out for cars lower carbon and focus on people getting out more
I live in Loyola Corners where many streets lack sidewalks and streetlights and I don’t feel safe walking in my own neighborhood. Please improve road safety in this neighborhood, especially along Miramonte between Cuesta and Fremont.
We do NOT need more street striping and plastic safety devices installed in our roadways. Stop routing more traffic through neighborhoods. Safe routes for biking are not on main thoroughfares.
Micro transit low not because not interested but because I don’t think Los altans take public transportation When it comes to local issues I am a literal one issue voter: Walkability. Nothing else, in my mind, could possibly improve Los Altos more than this. When people are able to walk around, it increases health, happiness, and community.
We have a parking issue now. Wide scale AV adoption is at least 5 years away. We should solve now instead of hoping the future develops.
All above are less important than making Los Altos neighborhoods more walking friendly and safer; e.g., sidewalks and street lights I am very disappointed in the so-called improvements to bike safety which seem less safe to me than before. I don’t think we need any of these things.
Safety is a high priority
While bicycling is a fun and healthy option that should be encouraged, realistically I often need to drive to downtown if I am shopping and want to buy and carry items around or eating dinner I don’t want to bike home later in dark. So parking is important too.
Everyone drives to school because LASD fought Bullis and redistrict the schools go their benefit. Downtown events bring people from all over not just local Los Altans. People pay a premium to live here for quiet, safe small town. Don’t ruin that.
Down Town resident so I know how important parking here is.
E-bikes are a menace to anyone trying to walk down town.
Micro transit might help the parking situation everywhere.
5, 6, and 7 are fine now if people would obey the laws.
Roads need to be safe for walkers and bikers. Speeding on Granger is really scary and not acceptable The bike lanes are good now. No bo;;ards or pylons should be placed on our roads. if “improvements and safety” are what you’ve done to Newcastle and other residential streets where you put out all these bollards and road markings and make it look like a congested urban street instead of a neighborhood, then I think that’s horrible I don't think this town needs autonomous vehicles because of the safety concerns around them, I also think our micro-transit is great, we have busses and close train stations! It would be amazing if we could improve the biking situation and making safer routes for students.
I don't think that we need any more parking in Downtown because we should prioritize people walking and biking to town and it being a safe place to walk instead of it being filled with plenty of cars. I really would love if we could shut off the streets of downtown to walking only, similar to it is during farmers markets and COVID.
Just because of safety concerns! Really, you guys are doing great with this town :) As someone who bikes around a ton myself, and to school, there have been way too many times where cars have run stop signs (especially at night when they think nobody is there!). It's super dangerous! I don't want to be hit by a car. I'm not a professional biker or anything and always stop at stop signs personally, so it's also frustrating when I see adults run stop signs.
Get rid of the useless bollards on the ECR and don't put any on San Antonio Road.
As I mentioned above, the parking situation in Los Altos is HORRIBLE! I would like to suggest that Los Altos build one or two parking garages in the plaza areas. However, the types of architecture that gets approved by the building department in Los Altos are usually hideously UGLY! So if a parking structure is put up, it will probably take away from the overall aesthetic of the city. Look at the beautiful new buildings in Palo Alto. They should serve as an example of how new buildings can take on both an historical and contemporary feel AND be beautiful.
My main way of getting around Los Altos is via bike. I would enjoy being able to commute by bus.
Los Altos has the opportunity to be bike friendly, but still misses the mark on adequate bike lanes and protections. We should put more funding into public transport, but not self driving vehicles. They're too much of a risk to children and bikes, and other transports should be used instead.
Over the last 10 years or so there has been an increase in the use of bicycles, not so much in all of Los Altos just certain areas such as Foothill Expwy mainly, and near the schools. Los Altos is pursuing to forego the safety of cars in the interest of byclers. Example S. El Monte and Hawthorne. Newly installed delinators after a shrinkage of lange width, gives the right turn from Hawthorne to S El Monte dangerous for a suburban type vehicle, commerical vehicles, garbage trucks, PGE vehicles. Why: right turn onto S. El Monte puts that vehicle in the oncoming traffic lane - oncoming traffic have to move in order for the right turn vehicle to make their turn. Engineers need to review such things for safety to cars as well. Rarely is there walkers or bicyclers in that area - I dont think Engineers are monitoring the walking and biking traffic just doing automatic implementation Safety, parking, and mobility for access should be priorities. Unsafe adult Jay walking is a concern. They are teaching children unsafe habits.
Because our council seems determined to destroy our ground, level outdoor parking under the trees. And, because many intersections are still dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
Public transit and safer road design is extremely important.
Parking is a huge problem and deters people from shopping in town when you can’t find a parking spot.
I've been stuck without an accessible bus stop for so many years. I can't bike everywhere because of my disability and the closest stop is a 45 minute walk in either direction. And I'll say that autonomous vehicles are a danger to pedestrians and other drivers. Thrice has a waymo stopped dangerously at the bottom of the S curve of Fremont just before the intersection at W Edith. I do not want more of these cars in my city. It's not safe to have *no one* in the front seat.
At least there could be a chauffeur that can move the car or stop it when there's danger. I'd much prefer public transport because I trust people, not often faulty systems.
I bike to school every day and it would be nice to have safer routes.
Traveling between South and North Los Altos by bike is only convenient via Foothill Expressway. While avid/experienced cyclists frequently utilize Foothill, it is intimidating for novice cyclists (like myself). The onramps and offramps are particularly harrowing, as are the underpasses. There is no suitable frontage road alternative. The lack of safe and convenient bike routes may discourage those who would otherwise be interested in biking as a means of transportation.
Safety for pedestrians, children and bikes is important to me. really, we need to worry about helping autonomous vehicles and spend money on transit and shuttles. and dont put a stupid bike lane on san antonio roadput bike lanes on streets with low volumes of slow moving traffic The priority should be making is safer and more fun to navigate Los Altos without using passenger vehicles. This starts with slowing traffic and prioritizing crossings and sidewalks/bike lanes. Prioritizing parking incentivizes the persistence everyone using their cars. Make it easier to walk/bike/use micro mobility; make it harder to use a car for every in-town trip.
Enhance the parking plazas and remove the parklets.
Convenient parking downtown is the Number 1 way to help keep downtown alive. Government has no business "expanding access to autonomous vehicles." We already have a Safe Routes plan, but some of the implementation will likely make things more dangerous.
Walking and biking are the best ways to get around if you live fairly close to downtown.
Looking ahead 20 years, self driving cars (Waymo & others) will be widely available. Please plan to enable these self-driving vehicles, without reducing the width of traffic lanes.
[Traditional Chinese] Safety is the number one factor in public transportation. [Simplified Chinese] 在社區志工服務時看到的情況
Observations made during community volunteer service.
The school district has closed schools and eliminated school transport, forcing children to cross busy roads supervised by parents. If we can’t have neighborhood schools, this needs to be countered by investment in permanent grade separation on foothill expressway. I enjoy going to downtown Los Altos instead of other cities BECAUSE it has empty parking spaces that make it easy, the recent surveys seem to consider those parking spaces a wasted asset, but they’re exactly the reason I’m attracted to downtown. Los Altos should not subsidize micro-transport for multi-millionaires. People who chose to live in 10k sqft lots worth millions of dollars should accept that they must pay for transportation to urban hubs for their needs - that should not be a city priority.
This was hard as they all felt important. However, as someone who moved here from a large city, I am appalled at the poor public transportation alternatives. Shuttles that get people to and from Caltrain or downtown would be amazing. my family and I would love to Bike to Rancho, downtown, and to school but it really feels unsafe on the busier streets needed to get to those places Removing parking on El Camino Real was a big loss for the city. I personally no longer wanted to frequent those businesses due to inconvenient parking.
And no one should be biking on ECR when there's Cal Ave and Foothill and Wilkie. The bike path on ECR decreases safety with all the business' driveways and the narrower lanes on such a busy street. Not sure who spearheaded that but it cost a lot to build out and will cost more to take down.
Keeping Los Altos small town feel. This is why I live here and plan to expire here. I also pay the big taxes here, which many in Los Altos do not. even as my kids age out of riding bikes to school (egan, LAHS) I think it's incredibly important this is accessble for all kids at all the schools. Our community should encourage ANYTHING to get kids outside and more independent Traffic can be very heavy at times, and it seems that a lot of drivers use our streets to get around busy traffic lanes.
I prioritize the safty of walkers and students walking or biking to school.
The focus on parking is crazy given how much more friendly and keeping with Los Altos history to focus on families and walkability. Villages don't have parking, they have green space and activities for multi-generational families.
We have some good bike facilities, but we need to connect them up to make safe, appealing bike routes that work for everyone, including kids.
School dropoff is horrible, because parents drive like maniacs. We need to get children to get to school without their parents driving them and clogging the streets with car traffic. It's a vicious cycle—parents driving dangerously mean other parents don't think their kids are safe walking or biking to school, so we get more and more parents driving.
There is plenty of parking downtown. We should be encouraging people to leave their car at home and use other methods to get downtown.
A) #1-3 very important for obvious reasons
B) #4 - not sure what is meant here - but if there were smart ways to use shuttles during busy times of the year (Art&Wine festivals, airport runs to SJC/SFO duringholidays, university schedules) that would certainly accomplish carbon footprint reduction, and foster opportunities for neighbors to get to know each other better
C) #5 - what is meant by north-south connections? Widening San Antonio Road? Foothill Expwy??
D) #6-7 are lowest priority for me - as they counter the biking/pedestrian friendly goal and just doesn't feel like a necessary thing rn.
Safety should be first consideration. LAPD do NOT enforce the posted speed limits properly. Why was this not given in the improvements list? increase tickets on speeders, etc. So many bad drivers. if they knew they would get a ticket, they would start obeying the laws. The worst are the parents rushing to schools in cars
These are all important. But safety is most important of all. It really doesn't matter what else you do if people still treat stop signs as optional, lanes as optional, bikers think the rules of the road and of physics don't apply to them or the people around them, and if law enforcement doesn't cite people who are always breaking the law, including school kids on bikes and e-bikes, and parents/caregivers who think they don't have to wait their turn at school drop-off and pick-up.
The reason you want transit stops is so you can build nine high buildings we understand that, do not allow any transit stops. this survey is rigged in favor of expanding housing and all that goes with it. You need to be on the side of the residents and fight for what we want. Don’t think this Survey represents everyone because the seniors in the town are not going to do it. It’s too difficult and poorly done.
We want to throw out all of our leadership and for people who reflect our values. Thank God for the people who are doing the signature collecting to stop your ridiculous Park idea. NO no parking structures! Why didn’t you ask about that on the Survey? you’re only asking questions that will lead to building a case for what you want.
No one trusts the people running our town and we can’t wait to get rid of them! Safety is important. Making the city more bike friendly is a fantasy. Don’t care at all about autonomous vehicles.
These bike barriers are dangerous, ugly, and a waste of
Our taxpayer money. I did not
Prioritize the above——that was a rediculous list.
These are not actually choices I find useful. I'd suggest encouraging more walking, less vehicles and a huge effort to slow the traffic down as it m[passes through our city. Round about, narrowing roads to make the appearance of needing to slow down. Planting more trees to narrow the roads would be ideal.
Adding more stop signs along roads that have become cut through roads (examples are Fremont and Cuesta). Encouraging more cut through traffic to stick to roads such as El Camino and Foothill would be smart. Putting more police on the road to give more tickets for cutting into bike lanes, blowing through stop signs and passing bicyclists inappropriately would go a long way in making the city safer.
Ramps at sidewalk crossings are difficult for pushing someone in a wheelchair over; would be nice if that could be made easier
Continue to
Invest in cross walk guards - they are amazing. Repave and organize parking soots to maximize spaces and plant trees in lots for greenery to retain beauty, expand green biking lanes
Question 8: Are there any other issues not covered in this survey that you think the General Plan should prioritize? A community swimming pool
fountains could be downtown if there is place for it
Maintain the parks. They are old and need more attention. The gazebo is falling apart. The fence along foothill expressway needs paint and repair.
Maintenance. We should fix and beautify what we have. We should tear out the gimmicky plastic street bollards that are popping up everywhere. They make streets ugly and less safe. We should emphasize obtaining citizen and neighborhood feedback for all significant changes. We are undertaking projects everywhere for nothing and no purpose. It’s for profit and we should emphasize the Village and nature and beauty.
Reduce City Staff. We are fending a fortune on nothing. Los Altos has a flatline population. We need maintenance crews, not more staff making a mess from behind a desk.
Keeping parks safe, do not use rubber. Keep tan bark or natural materials our parks so kids can play safely Do not sacrifice our downtown to YIMBY. Please.
More walkable/bikeable areas
Most importantly, I think the General Plan should be sure to spend money in a responsible way.
Ensuring/maintaining adequate surface Downtown parking
Strongly opposed to City spending on theatre.
Opposed to housing which replaces currently available parking at street level.
NO DOWNTOWN PARK. Egan School stays forever on West Portola. Limit growth of Bullis Charter School. It is hard to support or oppose large general statements. We might both support a statement but you solution might be something I oppose.
Not a fan of the downtown park idea that will eliminate public parking. We try to frequent downtown businesses, and even now parking can be an issue. Removing any will be detrimental to downtown businesses in my opinion.
Also, not a fan of the downtown theater idea. Theaters only make sense if they are used a lot. If you build a theater, you'll need more parking, so a downtown park goes contrary to that idea.
City should plant trees in place of ones the cut down. For example the
2 mulberry trees near the corner of Margarita Court on Los Altos Ave opposite the end of the bike/walking path Build a bride over San Antonio to Hillview area.
Don’t forget about Loyola corners development
Make a safe bike lane on foothill
Yes. Make sure South Los Altos is considered in all plans. We're basically ignored down here.
Horticulture and shade planning
no
It’s time to put ugly telephone and utility wires underground in all of Los Altos. At the very least, council should consider burying lines whenever streets are being repaved.
It is also way way way past time the council does something about the Grant Park facilities. It seems like any project in North Los Altos sails through a quick implementation while south Los Altos gets caught up in red tape.
I dont understand how preventing flooding is something you need public opinion on, just fix it! Listen to what youth and young people want, not just older retired adults Revive Loyola’s corner
I think one pedestrian-only street downtown (A la Castro) would be a great addition.
Is BCS moving? They are a blight on traffic at the Egan intersection on San Antonio.
This seems sequed to SPEND......how bout improve what we have?? How bout watering and maintaining the trees (in our dimishing orchard around city hall? In our parking lots that draw so many visitors especially in the autumn?) How bout Quit hiring expensive consultants to dream up what we "should have". How bout polishing up what we DO have?
Keeping Los Altos green with established trees and vegetation instead of more concrete parking lots or urban high rises. Sometimes its easier and more profitable to build city constructions than to develop organic environmental planning that benefits future generations. better roads; sidewalks in some areas need to be put in place; We should permanently close Main. Castro Street and Murphy Street have outdone their expectations: people love the vibe, and businesses are thriving. We have amazing weather here, and we should be taking advantage of it. We can make it walkable and still accessible -- maybe we have wheelchairs you can borrow for free or very cheap. But right now, there is much less draw to downtown than there is to other downtowns nearby, because it's not really fun there.
Think about the well-being of other species like birds and native bees in how the city is organized! Sustainablility begins with policies that protect nature. Please get that in your survey.
Stop buying technology, Start maintaining our city.
Where is maintaining what we have? Trees need care and watering, Redwood Grove house has been sitting there for over 12 years.....condemnation by neglect???? Main and State streets should absolutely be converted into one-way streets -- enter Main from Foothill Expwy, and enter State from San Antonio.
Prioritization of historic resources and environmental natural assets (trees) that require ongoing, designated annual budgets and policies that preserve and protect these resources. Prioritization of caring for what we have in facilities, grounds, and beautification. Prioritization of neighborhood designated committees for each district to provide direct input annually to prioritize and allocate budgets. More evaluative studies and thoughtful tradeoff reviews in planning that incorporate real public participation, not stickies and charettes. Stop piecemeal planning.
Where feasable reduce road width to decrese speed, increase safety, permeable and green surfaces. - Downtown park please!
- More restaurants, cafes in downtown (instead of shops selling clothes, rugs). Downtown is great for walking around, and I don't think it helps to have these rug or clothing shops to increase foot traffic. But would be great to avoid big name chains.
The landscape of our city is in very poor and embarrassingly unmaintained. We can and should do better with the trees and overgrown ivy killing many of them.
Given the value of the homes in our city, the landscape makes it all look very shabby. sidewalks, bro
We now have a homeless encampment on Fremont Blvd near the Welcome to Los Altos sign. And at least one homeless person has helped himself to a front yard to sleep in. I'm told an ordinance has been passed, but that it is vague and does not address people living in vehicles. It would be wise to match our ordinance to those of nearby cities such as Sunnyvale.
We should avoid any use of technology that makes it easier for the city to function but more difficult for its citizens to utilize. For example, the increase that we are seeing these days with bots as customer service solutions may reduce employee count for the cities or the companies using them, but they are not an improvement in the customer interaction with the city or the company. I'm all for our working to continuously improve, but the improvement should be an improvement for all.
Maintenance of downtown, cleanliness, trash, filthy sidewalks, cigarette butts, plantings, etc.
Improve sidewalks- add sidewalks and more bike lane bollards Additional support for seniors, mental health, special needs - whether through Parks & Rec or Community Center or other means.
General plan has to reflect a balanced integrative approach to dealing with current issues in tandem with growth and change.
Increase in neighborhood street parking and litter from high density El Camino Real new housing developments that come with limited parking Kid safety tools for portola. Pedestrian safety across los altos. realize that you need to compete for people's attention, and that the majority of those who attend events are from outside of los altos.
Focusing on the walk ability of downtown. Great addition of the 4-way stop signs on Main and State street intersections was a very good project! Much safer! But, reducing First Street down to 2 lanes (one each way) is a disaster.
There is already massive amounts of affordable housing projects in progress, we don't need more at this point. is there a better use for the land purchase on San Antonio that was meant to be another school? Roads are filled with potholes and cracks, road infrastructure need to heavily improve Don't spend my tax money and city assets on affordable housing! Make it easier for developers to build housing for many income levels. city wifi for downtown areas
Enforce speed limits especially around the high school
Rebuild the police station to modernize. Make it 2-3 stories and add city offices.
Yes, we need to reimagine our City's landscape and urban forest plan. Our redwoods are dying, the taproot plants and trees will soon no longer have aquifers upon which to draw, parking lots are just a cruel place to plant trees - meaning parking lots need to be buried and stacked, or if needed at the surface, then permeable. Our small scapes (beds and medians) need to be resilient. Even oaks are incongruent with denser housing; they are by nature sprawling and fragile trees. Their fungus kills stuff. They are HUGE. Yes they are natives, but they need to be given the space and isolation they must have to thrive. Perhaps different types of oaks of smaller scale. Use different native trees.
Btter lighting in some areas at night for safety
improve better community within los altos especially with children and families The current issue about the parking plazas doesn’t seem to be covered here.
YES you all seem to forget that Los Altos has an "odd" shape & quite a few different areas -you focus ALWAYS on downtown. There's the San Antonio area, Rancho, Loyola Corners, and Foothill Crossing. WE who live in South Los Altos are all but forgotten about - yet - we shop, dine, visit these other areas (NOT JUST DOWNTOWN) and some are badly in need of UPDATES - take Loyola Corners for example - it's "going to waste" with just a few businesses that struggle to stay open. Same with Foothill Crossing - there seems to be ZERO attention in the "old" general plan paid to these areas that need revitalization. PLEASE LET's NOT FORGET THEM AGAIN!!
Can we eliminate single use plastic cups and containers that pile up in the garbage bins outside bubble tea and pastry shops. your classes for adults and seniors are more expensive than any other cities surrounding. Give better senior rates. add sidewalks on at least one side to streets that do not have them and have sizeable foot traffic ex: Lyell Street How will we know the results of the survey?
The bands on 1st Fridays are nice but in the years I have gone to them I have only seen 1 African American band ( a Blues Band named Thibouex Express?). It would be nice to see more minority bands perform especially since most bands are “covering” African American songs Protected biking pathways
I don't think the parks and recreational facilities should come at the expense of making the city more commercial with large theaters or halls or parking garages.
Now that we no longer have DUI community cleanup many of our streets are looking pretty shabby.
I have a problem walking, and I see many elderly like me walking in our neighborhood. I would really like to see a bench here and there on street corners or other places maybe on San Antonio Rd.
We need sidewalks. Also I think that a nice way to get around town would be to have like a little train system Lighted crosswalks on San Antonio for safety.
Spending more money to improve landscaping and maintenance of our existing parks.
Better cell coverage in the city.
Active Mobility & Foothill Expressway: The survey mentions "shuttles," but we should be more ambitious. The Foothill Expressway Multimodal Feasibility Study (currently open for input) should be a cornerstone of the General Plan. We need a definitive commitment to converting one lane into a high-capacity transit corridor (light rail or dedicated AV shuttle lanes) paired with a Class I separated path for bikes and pedestrians.
Hyper-Local "Third Spaces": We should move beyond "Downtown-only" commercial. The plan should allow for neighborhood-scale mixed-use nodes (small cafes, gyms, or co-working spaces) within residential zones. This creates a "15-minute neighborhood" feel where families can walk to a morning coffee or a workout without driving to Main St.
The "Curb over Parking" Shift: As a professional in the AI space, I see the transition to autonomous transit as inevitable. We should prioritize Dynamic Curb Management (dedicated PUDO zones for self-driving taxis and delivery bots) over permanent parking. Reclaiming current street parking for wider sidewalks and bioswales will make the city safer for children and more aesthetically pleasing.
Missing Middle & Multigenerational Housing: The survey focuses on "City-owned properties," but we need a city-wide zoning update to encourage "Missing Middle" housing (duplexes, cottage clusters, and townhomes). This is the only way to ensure our children can afford to live here as adults and that our parents can age in place near their grandkids.
The community should have a stronger say on the general plan. The currently being followed seems obsolete and not aligned with the community. There appears to be too much influence from special interests. The City council seems out of touch and demonstrating Trump like behavior. -- They just want to build something and put their name on it. First it was a new police station, then a state of the art dog parks for the 10 dogs that use them, now it's imploding the existing downtown.
All of which is use to engage millions of dollars for consultants that are either not being managed or are to deliver a prescribed recommendation in return for follow on contracts.
Paving streets! Forget building new theater in current parking lot! Los Altos still has the country feel partly because there are no or few street lights other than downtown area.
Maintaining or improving parking
Clearing dead trees along street side land. Pruning. Bury power lines on University Ave Better library access. Ideally, expansion of current library, and also expanded library parking (not allowing dog park encroachment). Expanded library hours and programs.
I don't think we should invest in downtown arts & culture facilities because we have plenty within driving and public transportation. Mountain View has two movie theaters and Center for the Performing Arts - we seriously do not need anything here.
We need pedestrian bridges over Foothill and San Antonio. We also need to replace parking lots downtown with green space and outdoor gathering areas. Consider putting Foothill Expressway underground between San Antonio and Edith to expand Lincoln Park.
Preserving apricot orchard and updating city hall complex. I am opposed to a downtown park unless there was no impact to parking spaces. no need for a second theater. bus barn is great. and certainly no need for a movie theater.
Pool / rec center for residents of Los Altos
things like a downtown "pass" which the city can sell to be used in any of the city downtown establishments Community gardens
work to improve compliance with speed limits and stop signs Residential sidewalk maintenance to improve safety and wakablity.
Before making major changes, put major changes up for a vote.
Maintaining strong public schools
Build a new Police Department
The San Antonio & Main intersection should be a roundabout. If you have ever been through a roundabout I implore you to think about how much time you have spent sitting in your car at the San Antonio intersection and how great it would be if you didn’t have to do that. ( Not related to my survey answers, but I wish Survey Monkey would let me save a copy of my answers ) the Edith/Los Altos Ave/Foothill intersection. priority being pedestrian and biker safety.
De-prioritize electrification, energy efficiency in building codes.
De-prioritize water restrictions.
Consider turning part of State Street into a pedestrian mall.
Nothing has jumped out at me.
want to limit the amount of housing in the area. keep the low density neigborhood I would love to see an effort to bury power lines in neighborhoods. It interferes with trees and causes power outages.
Crazy ideas follow:
Don't turn El Camino into a 5-story canyon.
Create a traffic circle at San Antonio, Edith and Main, preventing thousands of cars a day from idling exhaust
for 2 minutes.
Dog park at Hillview baseball field.
Enforce mass transit to schools by providing such.
Remove all no parking signs near parks, open space and schools.
Sidewalks on key streets
Think some of #7 questions are typical of STUPID surveys that ask questions the person cannot oppose. Such as how could you oppose resolve flooding or street lights on key streets, or improve efficient delivery of city services , etc, etc public pool, public recreational options.
None
I would like to see the results of installing traffic cameras - what are we gaining here? What are we losing here. I’d love to see a well written investigative piece in the Town Crier on this topic.
Major changes considered by the city should be voted upon.
Need to get away police and city employee pensions. Go to 401k plans.
You should cut out funding for tearing up the downtown parking lots and building a park. We don't need it.
Design standards for streets to reduce traffic speeds and improve safety for all street users. Many streets could add trees to make them more pleasant and slow cars.
I need to know what the "new" technology is before having opinion about its use.
More South Los Altos focus. Less downtown park and theater focus. Alternate downtown dog park location. More library parking. bike infrastructure!
Need a fair parking resolution for high school area. Allow more street parking in surrounding neighborhoods.
Dog park plans instead of library parking doesn’t make sense…keep dog park where it is and keep parking where it is needed more there Fire safety.
Emergency preparedness
Keeping building heights low in downtown.
All development should include adequate onsite parking , be reviewed for architectural interest (lets avoid ugly box bldgs), and adequate plans for safe neighborhood traffic flow to protects our kids and pedestrians. I have a dog but i am not in favor of the $1m dog park. It is a huge waste of money. Look to mountain view for great examples on what to do
Your points are too vague or I’m unfamiliar with what you are proposing to give a yes or no. Define “affordable housing” what income range is considered affordable housing?
Under grounding telephone lines.
Welcoming in looks and care for all city workers. I experienced this at the opening and relocation of a downtown store. This includes Police walking around town. I grew up knowing that they were my friends whom I could talk to anytime.
Maintaining street condition. Many streets are in need of repair The general plan should prioritize enhancing parks and open spaces, with a particular focus on creating more dedicated, well-designed dog park areas. Given how many residents have dogs, investing in larger, thoughtfully planned spaces—including areas separated by dog size—would greatly improve daily quality of life and better reflect the needs of the community.
Increase sidewalk coverage to encourage safe neighborhood walk Our library is heavily used, but the smallest full-service library in the Santa Clara County Library system. The library needs to be larger to house materials and community meeting needs, and the aging infrastructure needs to be updated.
Housing, housing, housing, housing, and housing. (And yes, that was already in the survey.) I think that 5-10 minutes is enough time to fill out this survey properly is ridiculous.
I don't understand how the city is making plans to build on city parking lots without a vote from the citizens of Los Altos. When I have mentioned this to business owners downtown, some have not even been aware of this plan which may drastically affect their business. I only know from the Town Crier articles.
The list didn't show investments to improve biking and micro mobility. Storm water management on residential sites rather than major drainage projects seems to have a better ROI. Traffic flow is fine except for 30 minutes in morning for school drop off, and 45 minutes in evening, so mode shift to walking, transit, and bikes is likely to be more productive a pollution is also reduced The Los Altos Library is a heavily used and highly valued community resources with aging infrastructure and insufficient space for all the programming and materials the community requests. We should prioritize improving this situation.
More dog friendly green spaces, actual parks, not gravel covered dog runs.
I am VERY against the new construction of parks in downtown Los Altos. It would dramatically change the vibe and access to businesses. We have enough access to parks. We need to clean up and invest in the existing parks.
Use tech to show where there are often accidents and then use that to make changes to reduce accidents. For example, the intersection between W. Edith and Los Altos Ave is accident prone because of the 2 lights so close to each other (Foothills and Los Altos Ave) and the tree branches that often obscure the Los Altos Ave traffic light. Many people going west on W Edith will run that Los Altos Ave red light because they don't see it until it's too late and they think the Foothills light is the light they should follow. I've personally witnessed 2 accidents as a pedestrian and almost got hit as a driver when someone else in cross traffic runs the right light. Either timed the lights (Foothill and Los Altos Ave) or trim the tree often or do something!! Do something about the state of the city-owned infrastructure. Improvements and required maintenance have been deferred for years and it shows! It’s baffling to me why such a wealthy city looks so shabby.
New and/or improved city facilities. We desperately need a new police station. City Hall needs major renovations.
Don't subsidize the drivers.
Allow 3 story buildings downtown for mixed use.
Keep crime low...more cameras and drones. Also, improve the cell phone reception and stop opposing cell towers.
Affordable housing should be targeted to Los Altos teachers, firefighters, law enforcement, and other city government staff.
Regularize the crazy triangle intersection at Loyola Corners Child and senior transportation options such as a shuttle More shade along sidewalks
Perhaps this is already covered above, but continued high maintenance of LA treasures such as Shoup Park/Redwood Grove, Lincoln Park, etc.
Improve internet access to the country club neighborhood of Los Altos. Specifically add AT&T fiber internet to ALL of the country club neighborhood. Give residents a choice in internet providers. Comcast internet is miserable As I have noted, safe walking from neighborhoods to downtown should be prioritized Sidewalks!
Community-wide wireless access when out and about.
Find ways to reduce rents downtown to attract new business and encourage more patrons.
Improve the traffic light configuration at the rancho shopping center leading to Foothill. The traffic lights are not timed properly. Cars block the intersection and some turning cars almost hit cars which are through traffic Limiting city spending.
Stop spending money on consultants to transform our downtown parking into a park, unnecessary additional theater, esthetically unappealing intersection white paddles that are becoming an eye sore across town, and other unusual installments that are not doing much for safety but make the roads ugly.
I would like to know more about the activities at the LACC, and more info about how to rent or reserve those facilities. Maybe an insert in the Town Crier would reach more people?
The questions re technology are too vague and it really depends on what is actually being proposed.
The city should look to invest in improving local school facilities. School grounds are in desperate need of maintenance. Attention to landscape and weed control.
Also, assist neighborhoods to remove coyote threat or educate to help eliminate enticing wildlife to neighborhoods.
It's hard to really oppose any of these worthwhile things. police presence and response, lower crimes such as home burgelaries.
No
Not sure if this is the place to voice this. I do not support the plan to create parks on the plazas downtown. We need more parking and there is Lincoln Park close by. I also feel that we do not need a movie theater downtown.
Improvement of traffic light coordination in the city. Currently is poor.
Speed limits on San Antonio should be slower. Would like to see more control around this.
Collaborate with PGE and telephone companies to put lines underground. Upgrade emergency services for the next great earthquake or fire. Regarding affordable housing: build a few buildings for renting to critical local employees such as teachers, firemen, police, nurses, etc. who work in the city. Keep building heights to 2 stories downtown. For the affordable housing, build on the El Camino Corridor or the strip on Foothill Expressway where Benjamin Moore paints used to be. PGE & the internet provide education on conservation. Really, too much government is expensive and not a good thing.
Be frugal with city funds. In recent years it seems that the city council and city government are pressing for rapid growth and abundant spending of city funds.
Better enforcement of parking violations in town and around schools. Better enforcement of biking and e-biking laws. People ride on the sidewalks with no regard to pedestrians on the sidewalks and they shouldn’t be on the sidewalks to begin with. Students ride in crazy, unsafe ways with no helmets and two on a bike/e-bike around LAHS.
Improvements to the Library and Police Station. These are more important than a theater or park replacing valuable parking. A theater near the History Museum has more room and share parking with the Community Center on Hillview.
Catch up city resources in areas that bear greater responsibility for serving more people—especially by adding parks, green belts, and public facilities near El Camino Real and other areas experiencing an influx of new residents from high-rise developments.
Improve safety along school routes serving Egan and Bullis Charter, especially for children traveling between Los Altos and Mountain View.
If part of traffic safety is installing more of those tall reflective side barriers between cars and bicycles I oppose that. Those barriers are hazards. It makes the lanes going in opposing directions veer into each other e.g. El Monte. Also, opposed the installation of the trees on North Clark years ago - putting a trees in the middle of the street to slow people down? I'd rather see speed humps than creating a hazard that could actually injure someone. I'm all for improving traffic flow but some of the methodology over the last 10-15 years has been questionable. The addition of stop signs behind Almond school and at the end of Almond should've happened 50 yrs ago so agree with those but the barriers, and some of the more recent traffic decisions have not been good.
Fire the planning committee
you didn't ask about police and fire.
Street safety and affordable housing should be the highest priorities.
Maintain village atmosphere. Maintain historic buildings and historic landscapes. Maintain streetscapes. Maintain trees.Initiate a dark skies policy, and a full plastic ban including in all parks. All lights should be amber and below 2700 Kelvins. No buildings over 4 stories anywhere. More parks in North Los Altos.
No
Better communication. Run experiments.
Improving the Loyola corners area, as stated previously.
Pedestrian safety. Dog parks!
Walkability. Close main street and state street ENTIRELY to vehicular traffic, like Castro street, and create sidewalks for people to be able to walk or cycle into town.
Fire safety and water retention.
Controlling e-bikes
Please support investment in our first responders (police, fire & paramedics). This should be the #1 priority.
#2 priority is to keep our streets smooth & re-paved as needed.
And, stop wasting taxpayer hard earned money on certain pet projects.
Stop hiring consultants for everything.
DO NOT go forward with turning surface parking lots into parks.
Stop plans to convert parking lots. We need every space we have and need to take back spaces lost to some of the parklets. This crazy idea to replace parking plazas will kill downtown businesses. If it happens I will seriously consider moving.
1. Better dog parks or more off leash hours at Hillview baseball field.
2. Support growth of pickleball as form of exercise and social/community engagement.
Better lighting in current parking lots.
Inattention to South Los Altos, especially Loyola Corners I think it covered most things
Some more parks with creeks/ places we can splash around and hangout, similar to shoup.
No, biker safety (especially at stop signs where people think they can get away with not stopping :/) is my main concern, along with sustainability.
Yes, public safety, a new police building and no park or performing arts center in the downtown.
The roads in certain areas are very bumpy and the area near Los Altos High School has a sidewalk undergoing construction that makes it near impossible to walk the sidewalk.
Non that I can think of off the top of my head
not really
Sidewalks!
No affordable housing, that is going to decrease property values, it's Los Altos. Not everywhere is going to be affordable, pls stop trying to build multi-story apartment blocks.
Street lights in residential areas around Los Altos High School Downtown arts, and culture events that i fully support does NOT include a downtown park and theater. Please prioritize the maintenance of existing facilities.
Ensuring continued access to pharmacies and grocery stores. Many cities are losing these key businesses, e.g., Nob Hill in Mountain View. have better internet connection in the town and transportation system Better road design to slow down drivers and encourage alternate means of transportation.
Pedestrians are not the problem. Cars and e-bikes are the problems. Parking and accessibility are the key needs. pressure sensors on more lights that actually work
City resources/safe spaces for teens struggling with mental health, as academic pressure and suicide is a big issue in this area.
Specifically - Fremont Ave traffic. We have gridlock several times a day. It negatively affects my life on Fallen Leaf Ln trying to leave the neighborhood. fix stop light times all over town
put downtown theater where it belongs-on civic center site. buy land at san antonio and hillivew, directly adjacent to civic center, do not put a park downtown.
The city needs to right-size parks and parking to promote community building and healthy lifesyles. The current effort to shoehorn a big park into plazas 1 and 2 in Downtown is a developing disaster. The city would be better served to have a smaller park in a more central downtown location along with more promenades.
Whatever it is about the general plan that is giving the City the blank check to ignore the overwhelming public opinion and waste taxpayer dollars on a project the community opposes should be updated so that the plan better reflects what the community actually wants. increasing opening hours at Woodland library
Planting more trees (replacing those that have fallen) along Fremont Ave near Fallen Leaf (from edge of Los Altos to Grant Road on Fremont) Enhancing parking plazas, removing parklets. Traffic enforcement in town (illegal u-turns to get parking spots) Maintenance of tree canopy and requiring green plantings in all developments to help with carbon capture and reduce summer temperatures.
Maintain current Hillview dog park as a permanent site and provide maintenance. Keep current parking by the library where the fancy dog park is proposed and only use the space that does not takeaway parking. Maintain parking downtown and do not build a new park that eliminates parking and costs millions. Use the empty land at the end of the community center to make an adjacent park, with a sand volleyball court, fitness path circling the area with exercise stations, picnic tables, a grass area, planter boxes for teens and children to grow veggies and flowers, and a 5-12 year old playground under the redwood trees. This would be an easy park to plan in house and construct and avoid spending millions on a park in the current parking lot that would eliminate parking for a long time and disrupt businesses. [ Traditional Chinese] Education in public schools.
Los Altos should have an aquatics center. I’d like a public facility in which to teach my children to swim and to keep fit and healthy after work. We build dog parks for special interests and run activities in the daytime whilst working people and children are at school - I’d much prefer a swimming pool for all people rather than pickleball courts for the few.
How we will be dealing with the extra infrastructure required to accommodate all of the multifamily housing that has been built downtown and on El Camino.
It would be a much more interesting and vibrant place if we had residence with the diversity of income levels and backgrounds. So, low income housing is a high sidewalks, pedestrian safety is very important to me
i am strongly opposed to parking restrictions near the high schools. the city streets should not have parking restrictions. students and homeowners should be able to park on the local streets.
Ways to slow down traffic and reduce street noise. Immediate address of the unhoused population spilling into Los Altos. This includes auto dwellers. We will start to look like Mountain View cringe.
How do we enhance walkability between the three neighborhoods that border downtown with downtown in a family-friendly way? Rainwater drainage should encourage restoring groundwater - not flow to the Bay. Storm drainage should be a safety valve to prevent flooding of homes.
I have no idea which technologies you are referring to in #s 1&2, nor the kinds of programs and facilities you are are referring to in other questions. If there were a specific proposal, it would be easier to give an informed answer. These kinds of over-general questions are not useful. if you don’t have many many meetings with resident input and actually listen to the people then this is pointless.
Arts and culture is important. The problem is all the art around the city is modern, sterile, and ugly, so I don’t support wasting resources on more of the same.
Having fun events is great. Finding ways to have more fun events and expanding public areas all sounds great.
Once the charm of our town is gone, it is gone forever.
Slowing traffic by using round abouts. Road repair. I am opposed to the extra lighting because it is contrary to the goals of dark skies.
Los Altos General Plan Update: Community Survey Report
24 Appendix B: Paper Surveys
Los Altos e
General Plan Update
Community Survey
The Los Altos General Plan Update is an important citywide project that will guide conservation, development, and investment over the next two decades.
We want to hear from you! Please take this brief survey by May 15, 2026 at 5pm to share your vision for Los Altos' future.
1. What do you like about living in Los Altos?
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2. Looking forward, what is the one thing that should be done to improve Los Altos?
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General Plan Update
Community Survey
3. What do you consider to be the most important priorities for Los Altos over the next 25 years?
Rank the items in this list from 1 to 14 to indicate your priorities, with "1" representing the highest priority and "14" representing the lowest priority.
Maintain Los Altos' smalltown feel as the city evolves GD Attract and retain businesses,
name
including
brand
tech
retailers
startups and @
Foster neighborhood
gathering places ®
Make it easier for seniors to
age in place @
Encourage active, healthy
lifestyles w
Build stronger bonds among
neighbors @
Expand access to parks and
open spaces ®
Ensure a balance of housing CD types for people of all ages and incomes
Preserve local history and (z) heritage
Strengthen Downtown
vitality and business health 0
Make effective use of @ technology to improve quality / of life
Reduce the community's � carbon footprint
Expand dining and
Altos
entertainment options in Los @
Expand activities, programs,
and
teens
facilities for youth and ®
Los Altos e
General Plan Update
Community Survey
4. Tell us why you prioritized your list this way (optional} l ,, , ,//; /
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5. Thinking about getting around town, what are key
mobility improvements you would like to see in Los Altos? Rank the items in this list from l to 7 to indicate your priorities, with "l" representing the highest priority and "7" representing the lowest priority.
Improve roadway and
intersection safety
Make it easier, safer, and
more fun to bike in Los Altos
Bring micro-transit and
shuttles to Los Altos
0 CD
Improve north-south
connections
Expand Safe Routes to School
strategies to create safe routes 8
to parks and other destinations �
for kids and seniors
Ensure adequate parking in (;:j'i Downtown L_)
Expand access to 0
autonomous vehicles 0
Los Altos e
General Plan Update
Community Survey
7. Indicate your level of support for City investments in the following types of programs and projects:
New technology to improve traffic flow
New technology to improve efficient
delivery of City services
Parks and recreational facilities and
programming
Programs to encourage sustainability like
recycling, water conservation, and
alternative energy
Affordable housing projects on some
City-owned properties
Downtown arts and culture (events and
facilities)
Pedestrian-scaled street lights on key
walking routes
Storm drainage improvements in areas
experiencing repetitive flooding
Strongly
Support Support Oppose Strongly
Oppse
No
Opinion
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Los Altos e
General Plan Update
Community Survey
Demographics
Please tell us about yourself. These demographic questions help us confirm we have heard from a broad range of community members.
9. What is your gender?
Q Male Ci) Female Q Other Q Prefer not to say
10. What is your age?
Q Underl8 Q 18-29 Q 30-44 Q 45-64 Q 65-79 (0 !�i�:
11. How long have you lived in Los Altos?
0 Less /.f\ 1 to 5 Q 6 to 10 Q 11 to 15 Q More Q Don't
than 1 \.Y) years years years than 15 live in
year years Los Altos
12. For statistical purposes only, would you describe yourself as (check all that apply) 0 0
American Indian/
Native American
Pacific Islander
0 CD
Asian
White
0 0
Hispanic/
Latino
Other
0 0
Black/ African
American
Decline to State
13. Looking ahead, the City will host community workshops and events as part of the General Plan Update. Which days and times would be most convenient for you to participate?
0 0
Weekdays evenings Q Saturday mornings Q (6 to 8 pm) (10am to 12 pm) Other (please specify): rn . ; f
Saturday afternoons
(12 to2 pm)
Pop Up
Outreach
Summaries
MEMOR ANDUM
To: Brittany Whitehill, Senior Planner, City of Los Altos From: Jessie Hernandez and Tishya Rao, Dyett & Bhatia
Re: Valentine’s Day Choco-Stroll Pop-Up Summary
Date: February 24, 2026
Dear Brittany:
City of Los Altos staff and Dyett & Bhatia staff conducted a pop-up outreach event on February 7, 2026, during the Valentine’s Day Choco-Stroll hosted by the Los Altos Village Association in downtown Los Altos. The event was designed to meet community members where they are, introduce the Los Altos General Plan Update, and gather feedback from community members to shape the community’s long-term vision. This memorandum summarizes the event and key themes from the input received.
TIME AND LOCATION
Date/Time: Saturday, February 7, 2026, 2pm to 5pm
Location: Downtown Los Altos, Veterans Community Plaza, Main and State Streets, Los Altos, CA 94022
OUTREACH SUMMARY
The pop-up event was held at an outdoor tabling station in the downtown event area. Community members were able to drop in between 2pm to 5pm to speak with facilitators and participate in activities. The table was equipped with two interactive boards presenting three simple prompts:
• The best thing about Los Altos is
• What makes Los Altos unique?
• Share your vision for Los Altos’ future to help share the Los Altos General Plan Update.
Facilitators invited participants to write their thoughts on heart-shaped sticky notes and add it to the boards to share their priorities and ideas for the city’s future.
Facilitators also shared project information and business cards with project website links, as well as chocolates to encourage participation and align with the theme of the community event.
Each prompt received between 18 to 35 responses, for a total of 75 comments across all prompts.
Community input is summarized by key theme below together with photographs of the completed activity boards.
Pop-up outreach setup at Valentine’s Day Choco Stroll
Key Takeaways
• Unique Sense of Place. Most responses touch upon Los Altos’ unique sense of place, characterized by its historic charm, diverse and friendly community, and active downtown area. Other responses highlight the city’s public art murals, French style hotels, and the First Friday community event.
• Community Events. Several participants enjoy the many varied community events and facilities available in Los Altos. Many participants identified community events such as the summer concert series, dog parade, Christmas parade, and downtown events like First Friday as “the best” thing about Los Altos.
• Community Facilities. Many respondents also expressed their appreciation for the Los Altos Library and parks in the city. When asked about their vision for the future, respondents would like to see more amenities such as pickleball courts, dog parks, a community pool, and skateparks.
• Downtown Los Altos. While participants appreciated Downtown Los Altos’ local businesses and walkability, 12 responses suggested more diverse dining options (a new brewery, affordable restaurants), more retail shopping (boutique shops, thrift stores, and grocery stores), and improved parking in the area.
• Bicycle Infrastructure and Planning. Four responses highlight the need for the city to be more bike friendly.
• Affordable Housing. One participant would like to see more affordable housing options.
Activity Board 1
Activity Board 2
MEMOR ANDUM
To: Brittany Whitehill, Senior Planner, City of Los Altos From: Jessie Hernandez and Tishya Rao, Dyett & Bhatia
Re: 50+ Luncheon Pop-up Outreach Summary
Date: February 24, 2026
Dear Brittany:
City of Los Altos (City) staff and Dyett & Bhatia staff conducted a pop-up outreach event on February 18, 2026, at the City’s 50+ Adult Community Luncheon hosted at the Los Altos Community Center. The goal of the outreach effort was to meet community members where they are, introduce the Los Altos General Plan Update, and gather feedback from seniors to shape the community’s long-term vision. This memorandum provides a recap of the event and a summary of community input received.
TIME AND LOCATION
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 11am to 2pm
Location: Los Altos Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022
OUTREACH SUMMARY
Facilitators set up a tabling station outside the 50+ Luncheon event space (Grand Oak Ballroom) in the Los Altos Community Center. Seniors and other stakeholders at the community center were invited to answer two simple questions on comment sheets:
• What makes Los Altos special and unique?
• What kind of place would you like Los Altos to be in the future? Facilitators also shared flyers with information on the General Plan Update and encouraged participants to complete the ongoing online survey by visiting the website link or scanning the QR code on the flyer.
In total, 18 questionnaires were collected. Community input is summarized below by theme.
Scanned copies completed questionnaires are provided in Appendix A.
Key Takeaways
• Unique Sense of Place. Majority of participants (ten of 18) expressed their love for Los Altos’ small, quaint setting shaped by its low-density housing, great commercial areas, walkability, and tree-lined streets. Other notable characteristics highlighted by participants include the city’s diverse and caring community, high quality facilities, ample community events, good school districts, and access to senior services.
• Community Events and Facilities. There was interest amongst many participants (six of 18) in bringing in more community events and facilities to the city —for example, pickleball courts/events in partnership with schools like Blach Middle School, more classical music events, dance classes, meditation areas, and a new community pool. Two participants would also like to more services provided by the Senior Center, although no specifications on types of services were provided in the responses.
• Commercial Areas. Four participants emphasized continued attention to preserve and strengthen local businesses – particularly in Downtown Los Altos - and expanded opportunities for shopping and dining.
• Development Opportunities. A few participants (three of 18) identified changes and new types of development they would like to see in the future. This includes denser housing downtown and a blend of modern and classical architecture styles in line with existing neighborhood characteristics. One participant also highlighted the need for easier permitting processes.
• Transportation and Parking. One respondent called for better public transportation options within the city, while another proposed new parking structures along San Antonio Road to serve downtown shops and restaurants. Additionally, four participants raised concerns on the ongoing Downtown Park project, writing that existing parking lots should be preserved rather than building new underground parking.
APPENDIX A
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MEMOR ANDUM
To: Brittany Whitehill, Senior Planner, City of Los Altos From: Jessie Hernandez and Tishya Rao, Dyett & Bhatia
Re: Woodland Branch Library Pop-up Outreach Summary
Date: March 3, 2026
Dear Brittany:
Dyett & Bhatia (D&B) staff conducted a pop-up outreach event on March 1, 2026, at a “Family Dance Party!” at the Woodland Branch Library. The goal of the outreach effort was to meet community members where they are, introduce the Los Altos General Plan Update, and gather feedback from families to shape the community’s long-term vision. This memorandum summarizes the event and the community input collected.
TIME AND LOCATION
Date/Time: Sunday, March 1, 2026, 11am to 1pm
Location: Woodland Branch Library, 1975 Grant Road, Los Altos, CA 94024
OUTREACH SUMMARY
Facilitators set up a tabling station outside the Woodland Branch Library’s main entrance. Families and other visitors were invited to participate in an online digital poll using their mobile devices to share “the best thing” about Los Altos. Facilitators also shared flyers with information on the General Plan Update and encouraged participants to complete the ongoing online survey by visiting the website link or scanning the QR code on the flyer in their own time.
In total, nine participants responded to the digital poll describing what they love about Los Altos.
Flyers and project information were shared with as estimated 20 visitors.
Community input is summarized by theme in descending order of number of responses. A word cloud illustrates participant responses in their own words.
Key Takeaways
• Sense of Community. Responses touched upon Los Altos’ inclusive and diverse community.
• Kid-Friendly City. Participants described Los Altos as kid-friendly, emphasizing their love for the parks, schools, and libraries in the city.
• Neighborhoods. Respondents highlighted Los Altos’ tree-lined streets and wellmaintained neighborhoods. • Library Visitors. Most participants were visitors from neighboring cities like Sunnyvale and Mountain View. There was a need to emphasize that the General Plan Update welcomes feedback from visitors, in addition to residents of Los Altos, to encourage participation in the activity.
• City Engagement. During in-person discussions, some participants – including several mothers – shared appreciation for the City’ efforts in planning for the future with the General Plan Update.
Figure 1. Word Cloud of Responses
MEMOR ANDUM
To: Brittany Whitehill, Senior Planner, City of Los Altos From: Jessie Hernandez and Tishya Rao, Dyett & Bhatia
Re: Spring Egg Hunt Pop-Up Summary
Date: April 10, 2026
Dear Brittany:
Dyett & Bhatia (D&B) staff conducted a pop-up outreach event on April 4, 2026, during the Spring Egg Hunt event hosted by City of Los Altos’ Parks and Recreation Department at the Hillview Soccer Field. The event was designed to meet community members – specifically young families – where they are, introduce the Los Altos General Plan Update, and gather feedback from community members to shape the community’s long-term vision. This memorandum summarizes the event and key themes from the input received.
TIME AND LOCATION
Date/Time: Saturday, April 4, 2026, 9:30am to 11am
Location: Hillview Soccer Field, 97 Hillview Avenue, Los Altos, CA 94022
OUTREACH SUMMARY
The pop-up event was held at an outdoor tabling station at the event area. Young families and other community members were encouraged to visit the station and participate in activities in exchange for a stamp on the event’s bingo card for a chance to win a prize. The table was equipped with two interactive boards presenting three simple prompts:
• The best thing about Los Altos is
• What makes Los Altos unique?
• Share your vision for Los Altos’ future. Your ideas will help shape the Los Altos General Plan Update.
Facilitators invited participants to write their thoughts on egg-shaped sticky notes and add it to the boards to share their priorities and ideas for the city’s future. Facilitators also shared business cards with project website links, flyers promoting the upcoming April 11 Open House, as well as candies to encourage participation and align with the theme of the community event.
Inclusion on the event bingo card drove heavy foot traffic. Each prompt received between 27 to 40 responses, totaling to 105 comments across all prompts. Community input is summarized by key theme further below together with photographs of the completed activity boards.
Key Takeaways
• Community Facilities and Schools. Most participants described Los Altos as a familyfriendly city with good schools, parks and community facilities like the Los Altos Library.
When asked about their vision for the future, respondents would like to see more parks with amenities like playgrounds, shading structures, and water fountains. One respondent also requested for better maintenance of existing facilities. • Community Events. Several participants enjoy the many varied community events hosted in Los Altos. Many participants identified community events such as the Spring Egg Hunt and Family Fun Days as “the best” thing about Los Altos and would like to see more such kid-friendly events and programs in the future.
• Unique Sense of Place. Some responses also touched upon Los Altos’ unique sense of place, characterized by its “small town” charm, quiet neighborhoods, and active downtown area. • Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure Planning. Four responses highlighted the need for more street trees and lighting, as well as no-car zones as seen in Mountain View.
Additionally, three other participants requested for more safe bike lanes. • Transportation Services. One respondent proposed free shuttle on demand, which would provide connections to Los Altos from neighboring cities like Los Altos Hills.
In addition to the event, D&B staff also posted ten flyers promoting the upcoming April 11 Open House at the following shops, cafes, and grocery stores across the city:
Downtown Los Altos:
• Cheeky Monkey Toys
• UPS
• Sautra Patisserie
• La Boulanger
• Linden Bookstore
• Starbucks
Shopping Centers:
• ACE Hardware (Foothill Shopping Center)
• Lucky Shopping Center
• Andronico’s
• Starbucks (Loyola Corners)
Activity Board 1
Activity Board 2
Open
Commission
Study Session
Summaries
Memorandum
To:
From:
Re:
Date:
Brittany Whitehill, Senior Planner
Tishya Rao, Jessie Hernandez, and Andrew Hill, Dyett & Bhatia Open Commission Study Session Summary Memo April 27,
2026
Dear Brittany:
City staff, along with primary consultant Dyett & Bhatia (D&B), hosted two open commission study sessions on the Los Altos General Plan Update on April 22 and April 27, 2026 as part of the project’s Visioning Phase (Phase I). The purpose of the study session was to hear from the City's seven appointed bodies about priorities to be addressed as part of the General Plan Update and to receive input that will inform the Vision and Guiding principles for the project. This includes the Planning Commission, Complete Streets Commission, Financial Commission, Environmental Commission, Library Commission, Parks, Arts, Recreation and Cultural Commission, and the Senior Commission. This memo provides a recap of the study sessions and a summary of feedback received.
Time and Location
Study Session 1:
Date/ Time: Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 6:00pm to 10:00pm Location: Los Altos City Hall Community Meeting Chambers, 1 N San Antonio Road, Los Altos, CA 94022
Groups in Attendance:
• Planning Commission
• Complete Streets Commission
• Financial Commission
Study Session 2:
Date/ Time: Monday, April 27, 2026, 6:00pm to 10:00pm
Location: Los Altos City Hall Community Meeting Chambers, 1 N San Antonio Road, Los Altos, CA 94022
Groups in Attendance:
• Environmental Commission
• Library Commission
• Parks, Arts, Recreation, and Cultural Commission
• Senior Commission
The Historical Commission was also invited to attend this session but was not able to achieve a quorum. City staff will pursue an alternate outreach method and date to receive input from interested members.
Memorandum
Study Session Recap
The two study sessions followed the same format. The session opened with a presentation by Andrew Hill, Principal at D&B, providing a background on the General Plan, the four key phases of the update process, ongoing community engagement initiatives, and the role and purpose of the Vision and Guiding Principles. Each appointed body was then invited and allocated 30 minutes to provide input in a sequential order listed in the agenda. The discussion was facilitated by City staff. After each round, time was also provided for public comment from community members who are not on the commission.
Commissioners were invited to share feedback on the following questions in relation to individual commission priorities, as well as bigger picture ideas:
• What are the distinguishing features and characteristics of Los Altos that the General Plan should seek to preserve and enhance?
• In the coming years, what are the key challenges that you anticipate Los Altos will need to address?
• What assets or opportunities does Los Altos have that the General Plan should seek to leverage for the benefit of the community?
• What is your vision for Los Altos in the future?
• What programs or projects could help advance that vision? Summary of Input
The following sections below present a summary of feedback received from each of the seven commissions in the order on the agenda.
Planning Commission
• Defining features to preserve and enhance. Commissioners focused on preserving Los Altos’ “village-like” character, which is evident across multiple neighborhoods like Downtown Lost Altos, Loyola Corners, Rancho San Antonio, and Homestead. These areas were valued as walkable community hubs where residents can shop locally, meet neighbors, and become familiar with local business owners. Furthermore, trees were repeatedly identified as one of the city’s most defining assets, along with parks and accessible open space. Several commissioners noted that Los Altos appears underserved in parks compared to neighboring communities – particularly in Downtown Los Altos – and expressed interest in expanding green areas that serve all ages including small plazas and flexible lawns. Lastly, commissioners called for continuing community support for children, families, youth, and seniors. Key priorities include preserving places where children can safely biks to school, teen-friendly gathering spaces, and more diverse housing options and amenities that support aging in place. • Key challenges. One planning challenge identified by commissioners was State housing laws that required Los Altos to accommodate additional housing regardless of local preferences. Commissioners expressed concern that failure to proactively plan could lead to builder’s remedy projects, lawsuits, or State-imposed outcomes that conflict with local goals. While some voiced support for preserving single-family neighborhoods as is, others acknowledged that traditional R1 zoning
Memorandum
may change substantially in coming years. Commissioners also considered mobility/ circulation safety as a key challenge, highlighting specific issues like unsafe crossings in South Los Altos, incomplete sidewalks, and limited connections between parks and civic facilities especially for children and families. There was broad support for preparing for changing transportation patterns, including autonomous vehicles, ride-sharing, and biking to reduce reliance on private cars. • Assets or opportunities to leverage. Planning commissioners identified three assets/ opportunities to build on. Los Altos’ existing neighborhood centers, including Downtown Los Altos and smaller commercial nodes were considered as important assets that can support future placemaking, community gathering and civic life. Temporary activations such as pop-up parks were viewed positively and seen as evidence of demand for more flexible public spaces throughout the city.
The Los Altos Community Center was also highlighted as a successful civic investment, demonstrating strong community use across age groups and shared interest in creating similar shared spaces in other neighborhoods. • Vision for Los Altos. When asked about their vision for Los Altos, commissioners envisioned a city with an expanded parks and gathering space network, with teenoriented public spaces and park facility upgrades that support targeted recreation and social gathering opportunities. There was also strong support for establishing a downtown park, where families and residents of all ages can gather.
Commissioners also emphasized the need for diverse parking strategies beyond surface parking lots to support broader land use and public space goals. • Planning Approach. Several commissioners stressed that the General Plan should focus on shaping future changes in population, State requirements, and mobility patterns rather than preserving and idealized past. With limited land area and few remaining undeveloped sites, future growth may require more vertical development and strategic reuse of existing land. Furthermore, Los Altos’ regional location highlights the need housing, transportation, emergency response, and infrastructure planning efforts should also be done in coordination with surrounding communities like Cupertino and Palo Alto.
Complete Streets Commission
• Vision for Los Altos. Like the Planning Commission, members of the Complete Streets Commission advocated for safer, pedestrian-friendly and bike-friendly streets as a top priority for the General Plan Update. There is a need to address safety concerns around crossings, school routes, and access to civic destinations like Shoup Park and the Los Altos Library. Some commissioners also noted that regional school traffic and commuter trips significantly affect local streets and tensions between preserving neighborhood aesthetics and installing pedestrian and bike infrastructure.
• Assets or opportunities to leverage. San Antonio Road is identified as a key opportunity corridor for major safety and mobility improvements, including a pending grant-funded project, although progress has been delayed due to utility
Memorandum
conflicts and pavement condition issues. At the same time, coordination with the county on proposed changes to Foothill Expressway is considered urgent given its potential to significantly affect citywide mobility and access. In addition, neighborhood nodes such as downtown, Loyola Corners, and Rancho are viewed as essential for distributing activity, services, and community events more evenly across Los Altos rather than concentrating them in a single core area. • Planning Approach. Commissioners viewed regional coordination with county agencies like school districts, CalTrain, and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) as a critical element to the General Plan Update process. This was particularly true for Foothill Expressway, which was identified as having potential major impacts on city mobility.
• Implementation Priorities. Key implementation priorities amongst commissioners included updating the Complete Streets Master Plan with a citywide circulation framework linking parks, schools, and neighborhood nodes; expanding Safer Routes to School network to address safety gaps; and pursuing diverse funding sources including grants, public-private partnerships and parking revenue to support infrastructure needs and address north-south equity gaps in infrastructure investments.
Financial Commission
• Defining features to preserve and enhance. Commissioners want to preserve Los Altos’ small-town, leafy, family-oriented character while still supporting stronger downtown and neighborhood commercial nodes that enhance community life and generate sales tax revenue through restaurants, arts, and cultural activity in a post-COVID economic environment. There was a strong interest in reinforcing neighborhood-based identity and placemaking through plaza-like gathering spaces in areas like Downtown Los Altos, Loyola Corners and Rancho San Antonio, while improving safe and accessible connections to existing parks, civic spaces and everyday destinations. These reflect similar sentiments shared by the Planning and Complete Streets Commissions.
• Key Challenges. The City relies heavily on property tax revenue and experienced a seven percent decline in sales tax in 2024. This creates a need to diversify funding sources to support long-term priorities such as parks, mobility, and facilities, while also carefully managing long-term liabilities like CalPERS pension exposure and market-driven financial risk. There was a strong demand for full online budget transparency, clearer communication of fiscal decisions, the the creation of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to benchmark performance against peer cities and improve public understanding of how funds are allocated and used. Furthermore, while commissioners strongly supported housing options that accommodate younger families, essential workers, and seniors, they highlighted that property tax and capital gains structures may reduce mobility and influence neighborhood turnover and affordability.
Memorandum
• Planning Approach. There was a strong emphasis on expanding public engagement and outreach efforts beyond online surveys and pop-up events to improve participation throughout the city. Some suggestions from commissioners include mailed and trackable surveys, neighborhood-scale engagement, and stronger partnerships with community organizations to ensure broader awareness and inclusion. Furthermore, commissioners called for clearer communication by the City to ensure residents feel heard and included, and willingness to retain successful elements of prior plans (such as the 2002 General Plan framework) rather than fully replace established approaches.
Environmental Commission
• Defining features to preserve and enhance. Commissioners identified Los Altos' natural environment as one of the city's defining assets. Trees, the urban forest, Redwood Grove Nature Preserve, nearby open space preserves, and the city's relatively cool microclimate were repeatedly cited as characteristics that contribute to community identity and quality of life. Commissioners emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy tree canopy, protecting natural resources, and preserving access to parks, trails, and open spaces. Several commissioners also highlighted Los Altos' strong culture of environmental stewardship and expressed a desire to maintain the city's distinctive green character and cooler climate relative to surrounding communities.
• Key challenges. Climate change and environmental resilience emerged as primary concerns. Commissioners discussed increasing risks associated with extreme heat, drought, wildfire, poor air quality, and more intense storm events.
Concerns were also raised regarding groundwater protection, stormwater runoff, declining tree health in some areas of the city, and inequities in access to green space and tree canopy. Several commissioners noted that portions of northeast and south Los Altos have fewer parks, trees, and environmental amenities than other neighborhoods and identified opportunities to address these disparities through future planning efforts.
• Assets or opportunities to leverage. Commissioners identified opportunities to expand green infrastructure, improve stormwater capture and groundwater recharge, increase native and drought-tolerant landscaping, and strengthen the city's urban forest. Several commissioners supported replacing or naturalizing portions of channelized stormwater infrastructure where feasible and incorporating bioswales, rain gardens, permeable surfaces, and other green infrastructure into future development. Additional opportunities included expanding community gardens and local food production, improving green amenities along El Camino Real and in underserved areas, and enhancing connections between parks, open spaces, and natural areas throughout the city. • Vision for Los Altos. Commissioners envisioned a city that continues to be a leader in environmental stewardship and sustainability. Key priorities included a resilient urban forest, expanded green infrastructure, improved water conservation and reuse, increased biodiversity, and a more equitable distribution of parks and green spaces throughout the city. Several commissioners emphasized creating a
Memorandum
multigenerational network of parks, open spaces, and community gathering places that support recreation, environmental education, and community connection.
• Planning Approach. Commissioners emphasized the importance of integrating the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan into the General Plan Update and evaluating future policies, projects, and development decisions through an environmental sustainability and resilience lens.
Library Commission
• Defining features to preserve and enhance. Commissioners described libraries as important community gathering places that support lifelong learning, social connection, and civic life. The library system, community center, parks, plazas, and other public facilities were viewed as valuable "third spaces" that bring residents together and foster a strong sense of community. Commissioners also highlighted the evolving role of libraries as places that provide educational resources, cultural programming, technology access, and community services for residents of all ages. • Key challenges. Commissioners noted the need to accommodate a growing and changing population while continuing to provide accessible public services and gathering spaces. They also discussed the importance of ensuring that community facilities remain welcoming, flexible, and responsive to evolving community needs, while maintaining sufficient capacity to support future residents. • Assets or opportunities to leverage. Several opportunities were identified to expand and enhance civic and cultural spaces throughout the city.
Commissioners expressed support for continued investment in library facilities and public gathering spaces, including opportunities to integrate libraries, cultural amenities, parks, and other community-serving uses into mixed-use and neighborhood-serving developments. Some commissioners also discussed opportunities to build upon recent and ongoing library improvements and strengthen connections between library facilities and surrounding public spaces. • Vision for Los Altos. Commissioners envisioned a future where libraries continue to serve as vibrant community hubs that support learning, culture, social connection, and civic engagement. Several commissioners expressed support for expanding library services and facilities, including the concept of a larger downtown library integrated with cultural amenities such as a theater, public gathering space, and surrounding open space. Commissioners emphasized the importance of creating destinations where residents can gather, learn, and connect throughout the community.
Memorandum
Parks, Arts, Recreation, and Cultural Commission
• Defining features to preserve and enhance. Commissioners identified parks, recreation facilities, arts, culture, and public gathering spaces as essential elements of Los Altos' character and quality of life. Existing parks, open spaces, community events, recreational programs, and cultural amenities were viewed as important assets that contribute to community identity and social connection.
Commissioners also emphasized the importance of parks, plazas, community centers, arts venues, and other public gathering places that serve as community "third spaces" for residents of all ages.
• Key challenges. Commissioners expressed concerns regarding the distribution of parks and recreational amenities throughout the city, noting that some neighborhoods have fewer parks and gathering spaces than others. Additional challenges included limited opportunities for teenagers, growing demand for recreational facilities, and balancing future growth with preservation of open space and community character. Several commissioners noted the need for more informal gathering spaces and unstructured recreational opportunities for youth and teens.
• Assets or opportunities to leverage. Commissioners identified opportunities to expand neighborhood parks, create additional plazas and gathering spaces, improve recreational amenities, and incorporate publicly accessible open space into future development projects. Several commissioners discussed opportunities to leverage privately owned publicly accessible open spaces and to incorporate green spaces into mixed-use development, particularly in areas with limited park access. They also highlighted opportunities to strengthen connections between parks, schools, libraries, and other community destinations. • Vision for Los Altos. Commissioners envisioned a city with a more connected and equitable network of parks, recreation facilities, arts venues, and public gathering spaces. Priorities included creating additional opportunities for youth and teens, expanding recreational programming, enhancing neighborhood parks, and ensuring that all residents have access to high-quality community spaces. Several commissioners also expressed support for creating additional plazas, pocket parks, and neighborhood gathering spaces throughout the city.
Senior Commission
• Defining features to preserve and enhance. Commissioners highlighted Los Altos' strong sense of community, safety, public services, and high quality of life as important attributes that support older adults. Community facilities such as the Los Altos Community Center, libraries, parks, and recreational programs were identified as valuable resources that help residents remain active and connected.
Commissioners emphasized the importance of maintaining accessible community gathering places, social programming, and services that support social connection and well-being.
Memorandum
• Key challenges. Supporting an aging population was identified as a major challenge for the future. Commissioners discussed mobility barriers, transportation limitations, social isolation, housing affordability, and the need for additional services that enable residents to age in place. Several commissioners noted that older adults, particularly those over age 80, may be underrepresented in traditional engagement efforts and may require more targeted outreach approaches.
Concerns were also raised regarding accessibility barriers in the public realm, including sidewalk conditions, lighting, and transportation options for residents who no longer drive.
• Assets or opportunities to leverage. Commissioners identified opportunities to improve transportation options, enhance pedestrian safety, expand social and recreational programming, and provide better access to information and services for older adults. Additional opportunities included increasing housing options that support aging in place, strengthening connections between healthcare providers and community services, and developing centralized resources that help residents navigate available programs and support networks.
• Vision for Los Altos. Commissioners envisioned Los Altos as an age-friendly community where residents can remain active, independent, and connected throughout their lives. Key priorities included safe and accessible transportation, diverse housing options, expanded community programming, and continued investment in facilities and services that support older adults and caregivers.
Several commissioners also expressed interest in expanding transportation services, strengthening opportunities for social connection, and ensuring that community facilities and public spaces remain welcoming and accessible for residents of all ages and abilities.
Memorandum
To: Brittany Whitehill, Senior Planner
From: Jessie Hernandez, Dyett & Bhatia
Re: Historical Commission Study Session Summary Memo
Date: May 27, 2026
Dear Brittany:
The Historical Commission held a Study Session on the General Plan Update on May 27, 2026. City staff and the project’s lead consultant, Dyett & Bhatia (D&B), provided an overview of the update process and facilitated a discussion on community priorities, challenges, opportunities, and long-term aspirations for Los Altos. The Commission’s feedback will help inform the development of the General Plan Vision and Guiding Principles.
The study session was part of a broader series with the City’s appointed commissions, including the Planning, Complete Streets, Financial, Environmental, Historical, Library, Oarks, Arts, Recreation and Cultural, and Senior Commissions. These conversations are intended to gather early input from commissioners and ensure that a wide range of perspectives are considered during the Visioning Phase of the General Plan Update.
This memorandum summarizes the Historical Commission study session and highlights key themes and feedback received.
Time and Location
Historical Commission Study Session:
Date/ Time: Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 6:00pm
Location: Los Altos Community Center, 97 Hillview Avenue, Los Altos, CA 94022 Study Session Recap
Consistent with previous commission study sessions, the meeting began with a presentation by Andrew Hill, Principal at D&B, covering the purpose of the General Plan, the four phases of the update process, ongoing community engagement efforts, and the role of the Vision and Guiding Principles. An opportunity for public comment was also provided.
Commissioners were then invited to discuss the following questions from the perspective of their commission priorities as well as broader community goals:
• What are the distinguishing features and characteristics of Los Altos that the General Plan should seek to preserve and enhance?
Memorandum
• In the coming years, what are the key challenges that you anticipate Los Altos will need to address?
• What assets or opportunities does Los Altos have that the General Plan should seek to leverage for the benefit of the community?
• What is your vision for Los Altos in the future?
• What programs or projects could help advance that vision? Summary of Input
Historical Commission feedback is summarized by theme below. • Small-Town Character and Community Identity – Preserve Los Altos’ unique small-town feel, village atmosphere, and strong sense of community while accommodating change. Commissioners emphasized maintaining the qualities that make Los Altos distinctive, including its neighborhood character, independent businesses, intimate downtown, and strong sense of pride and stewardship.
• Family-Friendly and Multi-Generational Community – Support a community that serves residents of all ages and life stages. Commissioners highlighted the importance of strong schools, opportunities for seniors and young families, affordability for key workers, and fostering a sense of belonging across generations.
• Trees, Open Space, and Environmental Sustainability – Protect and enhance Los Altos’ green character through preservation of mature trees, parks, and open spaces while planning for climate change. Commissioners discussed urban canopy expansion, shade, resilience, electrification, and recognition of notable historic trees.
• Historic Preservation and Community Heritage – Celebrate and preserve the stories, places, and people that contribute to Los Altos’ identity. Suggestions included maintaining and expanding historic resources, improving public access to historical information, recognizing historic trees, creating self-guided historic tours, and strengthening partnerships with the Los Altos History Museum. • Housing and Managed Growth – Accommodate housing needs and State requirements in a manner that respects community character. Commissioners supported exploring creative housing types, directing higher-intensity development to appropriate locations, and using incentives to achieve community priorities while minimizing impacts on existing neighborhoods. • Mobility, Connectivity, and Safety – Improve opportunities for walking, bicycling, and other alternatives to driving while enhancing safety and connectivity.
Commissioners discussed safer routes, strategic pedestrian and bicycle connections, and improved access between neighborhoods and community destinations.
• Community Engagement and Partnerships – Build on Los Altos’ strong culture of volunteerism, civic participation, and collaboration. Commissioners emphasized meaningful public engagement, transparent communication, stronger feedback loops, youth involvement, partnerships with schools and neighboring jurisdictions, and opportunities to leverage philanthropy and community resources.
Memorandum
Re: Draft Vision and Guiding Principles for the 2050 Los Altos General Plan Date: Revised June 2July 6, 2026
VISION STATEMENT
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Los Altos began as an agricultural hub and commuter town along the Southern Pacific Railroad in a fertile valley famed for its orchards of fruit trees. Incorporated as a city in 1952, the population grew steadily in the decades that followed. As agriculture has given way to science and technology in the region, Los Altos has becomeis a quiet residential community with family-friendly neighborhoods, tree-lined streets, excellent schools, and an exceptionalenviable quality of life in the heart of Silicon Valley. Its walkable downtown serves as a cherished hub of community activity, while its proximity to major employment centers and easy access to parks, regional trails, and nature preserves continue to make it a desirable place to live and raise a family.
Looking to the future, Los Altos will embrace its role within Silicon Valley while remaining a peaceful and quiet, family-friendly refuge with a strong sense of community. Los Altos will respond creatively to the demands of a changing world and play its part in addressing the challenges of the region, while seeking to preserve and enhance the enduring qualities that define the community. In 2050, Los Altos will be a model of multigenerational living, a leader in environmental sustainability and historic preservation, offering diverse and innovative housing options that serve residents at all stages of life, while remaining a welcoming home for a diverse population and a leader in environmental stewardship. It will offer a variety of housing options to meet the needs of residents at all stages of life. Its vibrant downtown and neighborhood centers will be focal points of community life, easily accessible by foot, bicycle, or shared modes of transportation. Its expansive tree canopy and abundant, connected greenspaces will help moderate summertime heat, replenish the natural environment, and contribute to the physical and mental well being of residents.
A truly modern small town, Los Altos will thoughtfully integrate new technologies and leverage the knowledge, creativity, and skills of its residents and businesses to address its challenges while celebrating the people, places, and stories that have shaped the community. It will be a community that invites constructive dialogue and broad participation in civic life and that strategically invests in public infrastructure, community facilities, and programs and services for the benefit of current and future generations.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
COMMUNITY AND PLACE
ATTACHMENT 4
Memorandum
SMALL TOWN CHARM. Preserve and enhance the qualities that contribute to Los Altos’ enduring small-town character, including its peaceful neighborhoods, walkable downtown, historic architecture, abundant tree canopy, and shared sense of connection across the community.
NATURE FORWARD ETHOS AND ABUNDANT GREENSPACE. Recognize green spaces as fundamental to the physical development of the community and promote wise stewardship of environmental resources. Maintain tree canopy and integrate green spaces equitably throughout the community, recognizing the co-benefits for public health, climate resilience, and environmental quality.
VIBRANT DOWNTOWN. Strengthen the role of downtown as a focal point of community life in Los Altos and a destination for visitors from the region. Downtown ambiance comes from the design of the street network and walkable character of the area, as well as from the eclectic mix of locally-owned businesses, varied cultural events and activities, and opportunities for social interaction.
NEIGHBORHOOD GATHERING PLACES. Foster a network of gathering places throughout the community that bring residents together and provide authentic, inperson opportunities to socialize. Position Los Altos' commercial centers as hubs of neighborhood activity, anchored by thriving shops and services with complementary housing, entertainment, and recreational opportunities. Reinforce parks and recreational facilities as a core setting for informal public life with a range of programs and services that supports everyday interaction and lifelong learning.
SAFE, WELCOMING CITY. Prioritize public safety and promote well-maintained buildings and public spaces that create an inviting atmosphere for residents and visitors. Promote well-designed, well-maintained, and accessible amenities in parks and public places to serve older adults, families, youth, and residents of all ages and abilities.
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
MULTIGENERATIONAL LIVING. Foster a community that supports people of all ages and life stages. Work to ensure that Los Altos nurtures the curiosity of childhood, the energy of youth, the demands of working life and families, and the wisdom of age, so that every resident feels a sense of belonging at every stage of life.
SENSE OF COMMUNITY. Preserve and enhance Los Altos's strong sense of community that comes from connections built over time, neighbors who support one another, and residents engaged in their community. Continue to foster active neighborhood life and provide opportunities for residents to volunteer their time, energy, and skills.
DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE AND IDEAS. Welcome young families and new residents of all ages, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds and foster a culture of learning
Memorandum
from one another. Leverage a wide range of perspectives and lived experiences to creatively meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
HISTORY IN THE EVERYDAY. Celebrate Los Altos' history and heritage and continue traditions that build community bonds and strengthen sense of place. Honor the people, places, and stories that have shaped Los Altos so that they continue to inform and enrich community life in the future.
MOBILITY AND CONNECTIVITY
CONNECTED COMMUNITY. Promote a balanced, efficient, and reliable transportation network that connects people to homes, jobs, schools, parks, shopping, services, and regional destinations. Expand mobility choices with a focus on promoting active, healthy transportation options, reducing sole reliance on cars, and reducing pollution.
SAFE ROUTES. Provide a continuous network ofEnhance safe, comfortable, and convenient pedestrian and bicycle connections to key destinations in Los Altos and surrounding communities for people of all ages and abilities., focusing Focus on both physical improvements and programmatic strategies as well as education and programs that reinforce safe travel behavior and encourage walking and bicycling.
Consider the needs of children and older adults in particular, and ACTIVITY MOBILITY. Make walking and biking the easy, everyday choice and promote multimodal mobility and independence for all. Recognize this means prioritizing safety and work to create a low stress network of connections that knits neighborhoods together, promotes social interaction, reduces congestion, and enhances quality of life.
TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY. Thoughtfully integrate technology that facilitates safe, reliable trips by all modes of transportation. Design streets, buildings, and the public realm to accommodate technological innovations and proactively address conflicts between users.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY. Treat sustainability as a lens applied to every decision about how the city operates, moves, and evolves and create a community that functions better by design. Pursue a carbon neutral future as a shared responsibility, reduce resource consumption, embrace electrification, and enhance the natural systems around us so that Los Altos' leadership in environmental sustainability is a point of local pride.
GOVERNANCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE
INNOVATION AND PRAGMATISM. Leverage the creativity, caring, and skill of local residents to develop innovative solutions that address Los Altos' challenges. Plan holistically for the future, integrate new technology for the benefit of the community,
Memorandum
and partner with neighboring jurisdictions, major regional employers, and institutions to pilot new approaches and strategies.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. Approach long-term municipal governance with foresight, cultivating a resilient and adaptable revenue base to sustainably fund public services, infrastructure, and community investments for decades to come.
COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE. Foster transparency, open dialogue, inclusion, and trust between the City and the community, and provide opportunities for residents and businesses to participate meaningfully in civic life.
MODERN, RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE. Strategically invest in public infrastructure and community facilities that support daily life, public safety, business vitality, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability.
C i ty o f
L O S A LT O S
OPERATING BUDGET
FY 2026-27
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT & MAJOR
MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
FY 2027-31
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mission Statement4
GFOA Award5
Budget Message6
Budget Overview 10
Budgeting Process & Calendar 11
Basis of Accounting and Budget 12
Financial Policies 13
City Overview 15
Community Profile 16
Local Economy 17
CITY COUNCIL 18
2027 CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC GOALS 19
COMMISSIONS & COMMITTEES 20
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF 24
PERSONNEL ALLOCATIONS 25
Organizational Structure 29
Financial Summary 30
Fund Structure & Descriptions 31
Revenue Overview & Assumptions 33
Fund Balance Summary Schedules 35
Fund Balance Overview 39
General Fund Summary 40
Enterprise Fund Summary 44
Debt Obligations 45
Long-Range Operating Forecast 46
Departments Summary 48
Legislative 49
Executive 52
Finance Department 56
Human Resources 59
Development Services 63
Public Works Engineering 66
Public Safety 70
Community Services 74
FY2027-31 CIMMP 80
CIMMP Overview 81
Community Services 82
City Hall Emergency Back-up Power Generator 86
Community Center Café 88
Garden House Upgrades - Design 90
Grant Park Basketball Court Replacement and Resurfacing 92 Grant Park Facility Solar and Battery Storage Installation 94 Grant Playground 96
History Museum Roof Replacement 98
Irrigation Control Replacement 100
Lincoln Park Gazebo Replacement 101
McKenzie Pickleball Courts Build 103
MSC EV Infrastructure Project 105
New Police Building Design 107
Playground Improvements at Admin Building B 108
Police Department Building Security Upgrades 110
Redwood Grove Pathway Improvements 111
San Antonio Club Upgrades 113
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 2
Shoup Park Playground 115
Sidewalk Concrete Repair and Work 117
Tennis Court Resurfacing 118
Development Services 120
General Plan 121
Legislative & Executive 123
Capacity Study (Civic Center) 125
Chamber AV Equipment Upgrade 126
Downtown Lighting Improvements 128
IT Enhancement 130
Library Construction 132
Public Safety 134
Police Records Management & Dispatch System 135
Public Works Engineering 137
999 Fremont 142
Adobe Creek Sewer Main Replacement 143
Annual Root Foaming 145
Bicycle/Pedestrian Education Program 147
City-Owned Sidewalk Construction 149
Cristo Rey Drive Investigation 151
Document Scanning 153
Downtown Circulation Study 155
Downtown Park Space with Parking 157
Downtown Parking Lot Resurfacing 159
Fremont Avenue Pedestrian Bridge Rehabilitation 161
FY27 Annual Fats, Oils, Grease Program (FOG) 163
FY27 Annual Sewer System Repair Program 165
FY27 Annual Street Resurfacing 167
FY27 Annual Street Slurry Seal 169
FY27 Annual Street Striping 171
FY27 Annual Structural Reach Replacement 173
FY27 Annual Traffic Sign Replacement 175
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Retrofit Program 177
Halsey House Rehabilitation 179
Maintenance of Various Traffic Safety Features throughout the City 181 New Traffic Signal Controller at Springer Road and Fremont Avenue 183 San Antonio Road Complete Street Project 185
Sanitary Sewer Video Inspection 187
Sewer Flow Metering – Los Altos Hills Conveyance 189
Sewer System Management Plan Update 191
Sidewalk Safety Repairs at Various Locations 193
Glossary 194
Acronyms & Abbreviations 201
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 3
Mission Statement
The City's mission is to be a sustainable, vibrant, and inclusive community in which to live, work, visit, and play.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 4
PRESENTED TO
City of Los Altos
California
For the Fiscal Year Beginning
July 01, 2025
Executive Director
GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
Distinguished
Budget Presentation
Award
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 5
BUDGET MESSAGE
DATE: July 1, 2026
TO: Mayor, City Council, and Citizens of Los Altos
FROM: Jessie Kim, Finance Director
SUBJECT: BUDGET MESSAGE FOR FY2026-27 OPERATING BUDGET AND FIVE-YEAR FY2027- 31 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAJOR MAINTENANCE PROGRAM (CIMMP) Honorable Mayor and Members of the Los Altos City Council:
I am pleased to report that the City of Los Altos enters Fiscal Year 2026-27 in a position of financial strength. The budget is balanced, our reserves are fully funded, and the City is making one of its most significant investments in years in the services and public spaces that residents rely on every day.
This is a meaningful accomplishment in today’s fiscal environment. Pandemic-era federal funding has ended, the State continues to consider measures affecting local revenue, and the cost of essentials such as insurance, pensions, and construction continues to rise. While local governments continue to navigate fiscal pressures and evolving economic conditions, Los Altos remains well-positioned to invest strategically while maintaining prudent reserves. Rather than simply holding steady, the City is building for the future.
We are able to plan with confidence in an uncertain year because of the discipline exercised in the steady ones. Each department rebuilds its budget from zero annually and justifies every expenditure. The City’s emergency reserve remains fully funded, and we continue to pay down long-term pension obligations rather than defer them to future generations. That sustained discipline is precisely what affords us the flexibility to invest today.
Key priorities
This budget is organized around the strategic priorities reaffirmed by the City Council, which guide where the City focuses its resources:
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 6
• Public Safety: Expanded use of safety technology, building security upgrades, a new police sub-station at 999 Fremont, and design work for a new Police building. • Business Communities: Continued downtown investment, including park and lighting upgrades, parking lot resurfacing, and a downtown circulation study. • Circulation Safety and Efficiencies: Over $6 million dedicated to street resurfacing, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and Safe Routes to Schools infrastructure. • Environmental Sustainability: Green infrastructure upgrades including solar, battery storage, green stormwater retrofits, and EV readiness at the MSC site. • Housing: Funding for Housing Element implementation, zoning and General Plan updates, and improvements to parks and play spaces citywide.
The budget at a glance
The City projects total General Fund revenue of approximately $72.0 million, an increase of roughly 10% over the FY2025-26 adopted budget. Property tax remains the City’s largest and most stable revenue source, accounting for approximately 57% of total revenues. Planned operating expenditures total $63.2 million, of which nearly half (47%) supports public safety through fire, police, and emergency services. The proposed budget maintains a balanced financial plan and preserves the City’s emergency and operating reserve at the policy level of 20% of expenditures, approximately $12.6 million set aside for unforeseen needs.
General Fund Revenue – Where the money comes from FY2026-27 Share Property Tax $40.8M 57%
Community Development Fees $10.5M 14%
Other Taxes $5.1M 7%
Utility Users $3.6M 5%
Sales Tax $3.6M 5%
All Other Sources $8.4M 12%
Total Revenue $72.0M 100%
General Fund Expenditures – Where the money goes FY2026-27 Share Public Safety $29.5M 47%
Community Services $12.8M 20%
Development Services $6.3M 10%
City Manager’s Office $5.3M 8%
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General Fund Expenditures – Where the money goes FY2026-27 Share Public Works Engineering $3.3M 5%
Finance, HR & Legislative $6.0M 10%
Total Spending $63.2M 100%
What this budget delivers
A budget is ultimately a statement of priorities. The following investments will take shape across the community over the coming year:
Key investments for FY2026-27
Downtown park and gathering space: continued community engagement and design exploration to help shape options for a possible future gathering space downtown. Street and mobility improvements: more than $8 million for resurfacing and striping, the San Antonio Road Complete Street project, and safer routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
Renovated playgrounds at Shoup and Grant Parks: along with court resurfacing and additional recreational amenities.
Continued progress on the new Library and a future Police Department building: longterm capital investments advancing to the next phase. A greener, more resilient city: EV charging infrastructure, solar and battery storage, and a new green stormwater management program.
A modern planning foundation: a comprehensive update of the City’s General Plan and continued Housing Element implementation.
In total, the City’s capital plan for FY2026-27 directs approximately $28.6 million to projects in the coming year, funded through a measured combination of City resources, impact fees, gas tax, and competitive grants, with roughly $35 million planned across the full FY2027-31 period. The City also continues to invest in essential infrastructure that residents rely on but rarely see, including ongoing upgrades to the sewer system that protect public health and our local creeks.
Looking ahead
While uncertainty remains, decisions at the State and federal levels in the months ahead could affect every California city, and the City will monitor them closely and adjust as necessary. Even so, residents can look to the year ahead with confidence. This budget is balanced, fully reserved, and firmly focused on what makes Los Altos exceptional: public safety, well-maintained public spaces, and a community that plans deliberately for its future.
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Thank you for your continued engagement and for the trust you place in the City to steward public resources responsibly. This budget reflects the community’s priorities, and I encourage you to review the full document, attend a City Council meeting, or contact our office with questions. Your input strengthens each budget we prepare.
Respectfully,
Jessie Kim
Finance Director, City of Los Altos
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BUDGET OVERVIEW
The FY2026-27 Adopted Budget — adopted by the City Council on June 9, 2026 — is balanced, maintains the City’s reserves at the full 20 percent policy level, and makes one of the City’s largest capital investments in years. This page summarizes the budget at a glance; detail follows in the Financial Summary, Departments, and CIMMP sections.
General Fund at a Glance FY2026-27 Capital & Citywide FY2026-27 Total revenues $72,034,239 Capital program (CIMMP), FY27 $28.6 million Operating expenditures $63,236,120 Five-year CIMMP, FY2027–31 $35.1 million Surplus before transfers $8,798,119 Sewer Fund revenues / expenditures $15.1M / $11.0M Transfers to capital & debt service ($8,118,244) Debt service (all funds) $850,490 Net after transfers $679,875 Citywide fund balance, planned change
$108.6M →
$96.4M
Emergency & Operating Reserve
(20%)
$12.6
million
New borrowing None
Changes from Proposed to Adopted Budget: The adopted budget reflects the City Council’s final direction from the June 9, 2026 budget hearing. No material changes were made from the proposed budget, except for final technical adjustments to appropriations, transfers, and project carryovers.
Where the Money Comes From
Property tax — the City’s largest and most stable source — provides 57 percent of General Fund revenue ($40.8 million, +3.5% over the FY26 projection). Community development fees provide $10.5 million (15%), other taxes including the 14% Transient Occupancy Tax provide $5.1 million, and the 3.5% Utility Users Tax, sales tax, and franchise fees provide roughly $3.6, $3.6, and $2.8 million respectively. Total revenue grows 10.6 percent over the FY2025-26 adopted budget. The Revenue Overview & Assumptions page describes each source and how it was estimated.
Where the Money Goes
Nearly half of General Fund spending — $29.5 million (47%) — supports public safety through police, fire, and emergency services. Community Services accounts for $12.8 million (20%), Development Services $6.3 million (10%), the City Manager’s Office $5.3 million (8%), Public Works Engineering $3.3 million (5%), and Finance, Human Resources, and Legislative a combined $6.0 million (10%).
What This Budget Delivers
Key FY2026-27 investments include: more than $8 million for street resurfacing, striping, and the San Antonio Road Complete Street project; renovated playgrounds at Shoup and Grant Parks; continued progress on the new Library and design of a future Police building; a police sub-station at 999 Fremont; downtown park and gathering-space design; solar, battery storage, and EV-readiness projects; a comprehensive General Plan update with continued Housing Element implementation; and ongoing sewer main replacement and rehabilitation protecting public health and local creeks.
How This Document Is Organized
The Budget Overview section describes the budget process, basis of budgeting, and financial policies. The City Overview introduces the community, local economy, City Council goals, and City organization. The Financial Summary presents fund structure, revenues, fund balances, the General Fund and enterprise funds, debt, and the long-range operating forecast. The Departments section presents each department’s budget, positions, accomplishments, and objectives, and the CIMMP section presents every capital project with its scope, funding, and Council priority alignment.
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BUDGET PROCESS & CALENDAR
The City of Los Altos operates on a fiscal year basis that begins on July 1 of each year and ends the following year on June 30. The City Manager’s Office and Finance Department manage the budget process with support from each operating department. The preparation of the budget takes place between March and June. The budget is presented to the City Council to allow for public hearings and the City Council adopts the annual budget before June 30 of each year. The budget is adopted through the passage of a resolution. The budget represents the maximum authorized expenditures for the year and cannot legally be exceeded except by subsequent amendments of the budget by the City Council. The City Manager is authorized to make any amendments or transfers of appropriations within the same department. Any amendments to the total level of appropriations for a fund or transfers between funds must be approved by the City Council. See the detailed budget preparation calendar for the City of Los Altos on the next page for details on this process.
March 2026
Operating Budget worksheet open to department
April 2026
CIMMP Budget Worksheet open to CIMMP Budget Team Department Operating Budget proposals to Budget Team and discussions
May 2026
CIMMP Budget Meetings All proposals are due to Finance and finalized Finance Draft report CM & Executive review Finance Commission Review
June 2026
Staff reports to Clerk City Council Meeting: Public Hearing & Adoption City Council Meeting: Budget Adoption
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Public Involvement
Public involvement occurs through publicly noticed Finance Commission and City Council meetings, including the budget public hearing, where residents may review the proposed budget and provide comments before adoption.
Basis of Accounting and Budget
Developed on a program basis with fund level authority, the operating budget represents services and functions provided by the City in alignment with the resources allocated during the fiscal year. The Capital Budget is funded and defined by its’ approved projects, with ongoing or incomplete projects re-appropriated into the following fiscal year.
Basis of Accounting and Budget refers to the timing factor concept in recognizing transactions. This basis is a key component of the overall financial system because the budget determines the accounting system. For example, if the budget anticipates revenues on a cash basis, the accounting system must record only cash revenues as receipts. If the budget uses an accrual basis, accounting must do likewise. This consistency is also reflected in the City’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), the State Controller’s Annual Cities Report, and all other report documents.
Government budgets and accounting uses a mix of accounting methods. A hybrid cash and accrual accounting system known as ‘Modified Accrual Basis’ recognizes revenues when measurable and available.
The City considers all revenues reported in the governmental funds to be available if the revenues are collected within days after the fiscal year-end.
Licenses, property taxes and taxpayer assessed tax revenues (e.g., franchise taxes, sales taxes, and transient occupancy tax) are all considered susceptible to accrual and so are recognized as revenues in the period earned/collected.
Revenues from grants and donations are recognized in the fiscal year in which all eligibility requirements have been satisfied.
Expenditures are recorded when the liability is incurred. Claims, judgments, compensated absences, and principal and interest on general long-term debt are recognized as expenditures to the extent they have matured.
The Modified Accrual Basis is used for governmental types of funds, while the full accrual basis accounting method is used for proprietary funds. Governmental Funds consist of the General Fund, Special Revenue Funds, Debt Service Funds, and Capital Project Funds.
Under this basis, revenues are estimated for the period if they are susceptible to accrual, e.g. amounts can be determined and will be collected within the current period. Principal and interest on general long-term debt are budgeted as expenditures when due, whereas other expenditures are budgeted for liabilities expected to be incurred during the current period.
Proprietary fund budgets are adopted using the full accrual basis of accounting whereby revenue budget projections are developed recognizing revenues expected to be earned during the period, and expenditures are developed for expenses anticipated to be incurred in the fiscal year.
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60
Financial Policies
The City of Los Altos maintains a set of financial policies that guide the preparation and administration of the annual budget and the long-term management of the City’s resources. These policies provide the framework within which each year’s budget decisions are made and help ensure that the City remains fiscally sound over the long term.
Balanced Budget
The City defines a balanced budget as one in which total budgeted resources — current-year revenues together with any planned, deliberate use of available fund balance — meet or exceed total budgeted expenditures in each fund. The City’s goal is for recurring General Fund revenues to fully support recurring General Fund operating expenditures, so that ongoing services are not dependent on one-time resources. The FY2026-27 Adopted Budget is balanced under this definition: General Fund revenues of $72.0 million exceed operating expenditures of $63.2 million, with the remainder supporting capital investment and reserve requirements.
General Fund Reserves
The City maintains an Emergency and Operating Reserve at a policy level of 20 percent of General Fund operating expenditures. This reserve provides working capital for cash-flow purposes and protects City services against economic downturns, natural disasters, and other unforeseen events. At the FY2026-27 adopted expenditure level, the policy reserve is approximately $12.6 million and is fully funded. Use of the reserve requires City Council approval, and any draw is to be replenished as part of subsequent budget cycles. In addition to the policy reserve, the General Fund maintains nonspendable amounts (such as inventory and prepaid items) and Council-directed assignments, which are reported in the Fund Balance Summary Schedule in the Financial Summary section.
Budget Development and Amendment
Departments develop their operating budgets each year on a zero-base approach: each department rebuilds its budget annually and justifies every expenditure rather than carrying forward prior-year amounts. The budget is adopted by resolution of the City Council following public hearings and represents the maximum authorized expenditure for the year.
Appropriation authority is established at the fund level. The City Manager may approve amendments or transfers of appropriations within the same department; any change to the total level of appropriations for a fund, or any transfer between funds, requires City Council approval.
Revenue Policies
The City estimates revenues conservatively, using historical trend analysis, current-year collection experience, and data from Santa Clara County and the State of California. The City seeks to maintain a diversified revenue base so that no single economic event places City services at undue risk. User fees and charges are reviewed annually and adopted by Council resolution as part of the Citywide Fee Schedule, with fees for services set with reference to the cost of providing those services. Development impact fees are collected, held, and expended in accordance with the Mitigation Fee Act (Government Code §66000 et seq.), and the City publishes annual AB 1600 reports and five-year findings reports on the collection and use of these fees.
Expenditure and Appropriations Control
Expenditures may not legally exceed appropriations at the fund level. The Finance Department monitors revenues and expenditures throughout the year and presents budget status updates to the City Council, with formal adjustments brought forward at mid-year review or as needed. Consistent with Article XIII B of the California Constitution (the Gann Limit), the City Council annually adopts an appropriations limit by resolution and verifies that appropriations of proceeds of taxes remain within that limit.
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Capital Improvement and Asset Policies
The City plans capital investment through the five-year Capital Improvement & Major Maintenance Program (CIMMP), updated annually and adopted with the operating budget. Capital projects are budgeted with project-level detail and identified funding sources; ongoing or incomplete projects are re-appropriated into the following fiscal year. Consistent with the City’s Purchasing Policy, tangible items with a useful life of at least one year and a cost of $10,000 or more are treated as fixed assets, identified, and tracked through their life cycle. The CIMMP Overview in the capital section of this document describes how projects are identified, evaluated, and selected for funding.
Debt Management
The City relies primarily on pay-as-you-go funding — current revenues, accumulated fund balance, impact fees, and grants — for its capital program, and uses long-term obligations sparingly for long-lived assets. The FY2026-27 Adopted Budget includes no new borrowing. Debt service on existing obligations is fully appropriated in dedicated debt service funds, as described in the Debt Obligations section of the Financial Summary.
Investments and Cash Management
City funds are invested in accordance with California Government Code §53600 et seq., with the objectives — in priority order — of safety of principal, liquidity sufficient to meet cash-flow needs, and yield. The Finance Department manages the City’s investment portfolio, cash flow, and banking relationships, and monitors investment performance on an ongoing basis.
Pension Funding
The City provides retirement benefits through the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). It is the City’s practice to fund pension obligations proactively rather than defer them: the City maintains a PERS Reserve internal service fund and makes additional discretionary payments toward its unfunded accrued liability when resources allow, reducing long-term costs to future budgets.
Basis of Budgeting and Financial Reporting
Budgets for governmental funds are prepared on the modified accrual basis, and budgets for proprietary funds on the full accrual basis, consistent with the basis of accounting used in the City’s audited Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR). Fund balance is classified and reported in accordance with GASB Statement No. 54. The Basis of Accounting and Budget page in the Budget Overview section describes these methods in detail.
Purchasing
Procurement is governed by the City’s Purchasing Policy, which establishes ethical guidelines, competitive bidding requirements, and authorization limits. Contracts of $125,000 or more require City Council approval prior to award; contracts below that threshold may be approved administratively within the signing-authority limits established in the policy.
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City Overview
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 15
Location
Just 40 miles south of San Francisco, Los Altos is in Santa Clara County and bordered by Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino. Incorporated in 1952 as a general law city, the City was originally an agricultural town with many summer cottages and apricot orchards, and now is a predominately residential community with tree-lined streets and a small-village atmosphere. The approximately seven-square mile community is developed with various businesses, schools, libraries, churches, and residences and has a population of approximately 30,000 people. There are seven distinct commercial districts and bustling neighborhood retail areas.
The City of Los Altos operates as a Council-Manager form of government. Council Members are elected at-large to four-year terms and are responsible for determining City policies and service standards. The City Council in turn appoints the City Manager to oversee daily operations. The mission is to be a sustainable, vibrant, and inclusive community in which to live, work, visit, and play. This guides the regulations and policy that make it possible for residents and businesses to enjoy the charm of a small town near the innovation of Silicon Valley. Los Altos, with its beautiful neighborhoods, award-winning schools, 40+ acres of parks and open space and friendly commercial areas, is an exceptional place to call home and conduct business.
Los Altos City Hall Phone: 650.947.2700
1 North San Antonio Road Fax: 650.947.2701
Los Altos, CA94022 [email protected] / www.losaltosca.gov Demographics
Population 31,720
Total Households 10,840
Median Household Income $250,000+
Average Household Size 2.81
Median Age 45.9
Population Aged Over 65 20.8%
Language Other Than English Spoken at Home 38.8%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 88.1%
In-City Active Business Licenses 1,569
Public School Enrollment (K-8) 3,347
Public School Enrollment (9-12) 4,459
Sources:
(1) U.S. Census Bureau, (2) City Data, (3) Los Altos Unified School District, (4) Mountain View Los Altos Unified High School District
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
2 3
4 FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 16
Local Economy
Los Altos is a predominantly residential community of approximately seven square miles at the heart of Silicon Valley, bordered by Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and Los Altos Hills. The local economy is anchored by seven distinct commercial districts — including the downtown Village core along Main and State Streets — and by 1,569 active in-city business licenses, concentrated in neighborhood-serving retail, restaurants and dining, personal services, and professional services such as medical, legal, financial, and real estate practices.
Economic Base and Revenue Implications
The structure of the local economy shapes the City’s revenue profile:
A high-value residential property base is the City’s economic foundation. With a median household income above $250,000 and sustained demand for housing near Silicon Valley employment centers, assessed valuation has grown reliably through ownership turnover and reinvestment. Property tax provides 57 percent of General Fund revenue, giving the City an unusually stable revenue base relative to cities dependent on sales tax.
Neighborhood-serving retail produces modest, stable sales tax. Because Los Altos has no regional mall, auto dealerships, or big-box centers, sales tax accounts for only about 5 percent of General Fund revenue — limiting both the upside of retail cycles and the City’s exposure to them.
Development activity is a meaningful and cyclical source. Residential construction and remodeling in a high-value housing market, along with Housing Element implementation, drive community development fee revenue, which has ranged from $5.7 million to a projected $11.0 million over the past three years.
Employment for residents is regional. Most working residents are employed at Silicon Valley technology, professional, education, and medical employers in surrounding communities, including major employers in adjacent Mountain View, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino. Local employment within Los Altos is concentrated in the school districts, the City, retail and dining establishments, and professional offices.
Community Anchors
Award-winning public schools (the Los Altos School District and the Mountain View–Los Altos Union High School District, with combined public school enrollment of roughly 7,800), more than 40 acres of parks and open space, the Los Altos History Museum, the library, and the downtown Village support both quality of life and the customer base for local businesses. The City’s Economic Development Division serves as the liaison between the business community and City government, and the FY2026-27 budget continues targeted downtown investment — park and gathering space design, lighting improvements, parking lot resurfacing, and a downtown circulation study — under the Council’s Business Communities strategic priority.
Outlook
The near-term outlook for the local economy is stable. Property tax growth is expected to continue at a moderate pace with ownership turnover; development activity is projected to normalize modestly from its FY2025-26 peak; and consumer-driven revenues (sales tax, TOT, utility users tax) are expected to be roughly flat. The principal risks to the local revenue outlook are State and federal fiscal decisions affecting local government revenues, regional technology-sector employment cycles, and construction cost escalation affecting both private development and the City’s capital program. •
•
•
•
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 17
City Council
City Council
Sally Meadows (Mayor)
Larry Lang (Vice Mayor)
Pete Dailey (Council member)
Jonathan D. Weinberg (Council member)
Term Expiration
November 2028
November 2028
November 2026
November 2028
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 18
2027 CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC GOALS
The City Council Strategic Goals highlight those areas identified by the Council for emphasis and focus. The goals are set by the City Council at its annual priority-setting process, informed by community input, and are reaffirmed with the adoption of each budget; every capital project in the FY2027-31 CIMMP is aligned to one of these goals. The City Council will accomplish these goals by engaging the community and making decisions which are equitable, sustainable and fiscally prudent. The City Council will ensure that appropriate resources are allocated to maintain Los Altos as a great place to live and work, including providing a work culture and environment that supports recruitment and retention of exceptional employees to provide City services and maintenance and improvement of the City’s assets.
Public Safety
The City of Los Altos will continue providing excellent public safety for the community by providing safe, reliable and resilient police and fire facilities and services and by engaging the community in emergency preparedness best practices.
Business Communities
The City of Los Altos will support the different business communities including implementing specific projects and/or elements of the Housing Element and Downtown Vision Plan, and launching initiatives to bolster the business communities.
Circulation Safety and Efficiency
The City of Los Altos will continue implementing the City’s policies as expressed in the Complete Streets Master Plan and other plans which support improving circulation safety and efficiencies, with an emphasis on improving Safe Routes to Schools.
Environmental Sustainability
The City of Los Altos strives to lead in environmental sustainability through education, incentives and adaptation initiatives, and practices identified in the City’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
Housing
The City of Los Altos will implement the Housing Element, programs, and policies to facilitate, incentivize and administer the availability of housing that is safe, diverse and affordable for all income levels to meet the needs of the Community and seek to increase and protect its green space.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 19
COMMISSIONS & COMMITTEES
Complete Streets Commission
COMMISSIONER TERM TERM EXPIRATION
Wesley Helmholz, Vice Chair Partial
Scott J. Pietka, Chair Partial
Tom Gschneidner 1st
Stephen Katz 2nd
Suresh Venkatraman 2nd
Tony Li 1st
Clara Roa Partial
Council Liaison: Larry Lang
Staff Liaison: Art Williams
Environmental Commission
COMMISSIONER TERM TERM EXPIRATION
Raashina Humayun 2nd
Carl van Reis, Chair 1st
Tom Hecht 1st
Colm Nee, Vice Chair 1st
Don Weiden 2nd
Angelo De Giuli Partial
Council Liaison: Pete Dailey
Staff Liaison: Tania Katbi
Financial Commission
COMMISSIONER TERM TERM EXPIRATION
Deepak Jain, Chair 1st
Jesse Zhang, Vice Chair 1st
Jonathan Chang 1st
Ken Fowler Partial
Scott Ottoes 1st
[Vacant] -
[Vacant] -
Council Liaison: Sally Meadows
Staff Liaison: Jon Maginot
Historical Commission
COMMISSIONER TERM TERM EXPIRATION
Liza Coe 1st
Jonathan Adams 1st
Gina Atkinson, Chair 1st
Suzanne Maguire-Negus, Vice Chair 1st
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 20
Karen Scussel 1st
September, 2026
September, 2026
September, 2026
September, 2028
September, 2028
September, 2028
September, 2026
September, 2028
September, 2026
September, 2026
September, 2028
September, 2026
September, 2028
September, 2027
September, 2027
September, 2029
September, 2027
September, 2027
September, 2029
September, 2029
September, 2026
September, 2026
September, 2028
September, 2028
September, 2029
Council Liaison: Larry Lang
Staff Liaison: Sean Gallegos
Joint Community Volunteer Service Awards Committee
COMMISSIONER TERM TERM EXPIRATION
Sandy Mingia (Los Altos Hills) 2nd January, 2027
Lindsay Carpenter (Los Altos) 1st
Sumita Chandra (Los Altos) 1st
Donald Mattson (Los Altos Hills) 1st January, 2027
Charles Lindauer (Los Altos) 1st
Ginny Lear, Chair (Los Altos) Partial
Archana Appanna (Los Altos) 1st
Laura Schmidt (Los Altos Hills) 1st January, 2029
Ben Gikis (Los Altos Hills) 1st January, 2028
Council Liaison: Jonathan D. Weinberg,
City of Los Altos
Council Liaison: Stan Mok,
Town of Los Altos Hills
Staff Liaison: Taylor Brown
Library Commission
COMMISSIONER TERM TERM EXPIRATION
Michelle Morris, Chair (Los Altos) 1st
Christine Fawcett, Vice Chair (Los Altos H 1st January, 2027 Pierre Bedard (Los Altos) 2nd
Ambica Bhardwaj (Los Altos) 1st
Jeanine Valadez (Los Altos) 1st
Council Liaison: Larry Lang
City of Los Altos
Council Liaison: Linda Swan
Town of Los Altos Hills
Staff Liaison: Anthony Carnesecca
North County Library Authority
COMMISSIONER TERM TERM EXPIRATION
Larry Lang, President (Los Altos City Coun - December 31, 2028 Pete Dailey, Vice President (Los Altos City - December 31, 2026 Aarti Johri, Secretary (Los Altos Hills Rep - December 31, 2026 Linda Swan (Los Altos Hills Town Council) - December 31, 2028 Pierre Bedard (Library Commission Rep.) - December 31, 2028 FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos
September, 2027
September, 2027
September, 2029
September, 2027
September, 2029
September, 2027
September, 2029
September, 2029
September, 2029
Administrative Officer: Christi Mansel
Parks, Arts, Recreation, & Cultural Commission
COMMISSIONER TERM TERM EXPIRATION
Ellen Dolich 1st
Erin MacDonald 1st
Teresa Morris, Chair 2nd
Alexandra Nguyen, Vice Chair 1st
Misti Sangani 1st
Yvette Stout Partial
Vacant - -
Council Liaison: Jonathan Weinberg
Staff Liaison: Manny Hernandez
Staff Liaison: Casey Jensen-Richardson
Planning Commission
COMMISSIONER TERM TERM EXPIRATION
Mehruss Jon Ahi, Chair 2nd
Richard Roche, Vice Chair 2nd
Joe Beninato 1st
Susan Mensinger 2nd
Daphne Ross Partial
Eric Steinle 2nd
[Vacant] -
Council Liaison: Pete Dailey
Staff Liaison: Stephanie Williams
Senior Commission
COMMISSIONER TERM TERM EXPIRATION
[Vacancy] (Los Altos) 2nd
Kris Olson, Chair (Los Altos) 2nd
Jim Basiji (Los Altos Hills) 3rd August, 2027
Sharvari Dixit (Los Altos Hills) 1st
Dolores Gallagher Thompson (Los Altos) 1st
[Vacancy] (Los Altos) 1st
[Vacancy] (Los Altos) -
Council Liaison: Stanley Q. Mok
Town of Los Altos Hills
Council Liaison: Sally Meadows
City of Los Altos
Staff Liaison: Jaime Chew
Staff Liaison: Candace Avina
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos
September, 2029
September, 2029
September, 2029
September, 2029
September, 2029
September, 2027
September, 2026
September, 2028
September, 2026
September, 2028
September, 2026
September, 2028
September, 2026
September, 2026
September, 2027
September, 2027
September, 2026
September, 2026
September, 2027
Youth Commission Council Academy
COMMISSIONER TERM TERM EXPIRATION
Ryan Kim, Bellarmine College Preparator 2nd June, 2026
(2026 Mayor)
Vibha Bengani, Homestead High School 2nd June, 2027
(2026 City Clerk)
Ishika Anand, Los Altos High School 2nd June, 2026
(2026 Councilmember)
Asha Rammohan, Los Altos High School 2nd June, 2026
(2026 Parks & Recreation Director)
Darius Sayar, St. Francis High School 2nd June, 2026
(2026 Councilmember)
Sahana Srinivasan, Los Altos High School 1st June, 2026 (2026 City Manager)
Abhinav Tammana, Los Altos High Schoo 1st June, 2026
(2026 Vice Mayor)
Olivia Cheng, Menlo High School 1st June, 2027
(2026 City Attorney)
Taryn Hwang, The Nueva School 1st June, 2027
(2026 Police Chief)
Michael Shukhman, Mountain View High 1st June, 2027
(2026 Councilmember)
Vacant 1st June, 2027
Council Liaison: Jonathan D. Weinberg
Staff Liaison: Melissa Thurman
City Clerk
Staff Liaison: Taylor Brown
Deputy City Clerk
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 23
Appointed by City Council
City Manager Gabriel Engeland
City Attorney Jolie Houston
Executive Team
Assistant City Manager Jon Maginot
Assistant to the City Manager Anthony Carnesecca
City Clerk Melissa Thurman
Human Director Irene Barragan
Finance Director Jessie Kim
Police Chief Saskia Lagergren
Community Services Director Manuel Hernandez
Public Works Engineering Director Victor Chen
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 24
Resources
Authorized Positions
Final Final Adopted Adopted Position
Department Positions Positions Positions Positions Changes Authorized Position Title FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27 FY2026-27 Mayor/ City Council
Mayor 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
City Council 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 -
Mayor/City Council Total 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 -
Executive
City Manager 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Assistant City Manager 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Assistant City Manager for
LandDevelopment - 1.00 1.00 - (1.00)
City Clerk 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Assistant to the City Manager 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Public Information Officer 1.00 1.00 - - -
Engagement Supervisor - - 1.00 1.00 -
Assistant City Clerk 1.00 1.00 - - -
Deputy City Clerk - - 1.00 1.00 -
Confidential Executive Assistant 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Public Information Coordinator 1.00 - 1.00 1.00 -
Information Technology Manager 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Senior Network Systems Administrator - 1.00 1.00 1.00 - Network Systems Administrator 1.00 - - - -
Information Technology Analyst I/II 1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 - Information Technology Technician 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 - Emergency Response Coordinator - 1.00 - -
Management Analyst I/II - - - 1.00 1.00
Senior Management Analyst - - 1.00 1.00 -
Executive Total 12.00 14.00 15.00 15.00 -
Human Resources
Human Resources Director 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Human Resources Manager 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Human Resources Administrator - - 1.00 1.00 -
Human Resources Analyst I/II 2.00 2.00 2.00 1.00 (1.00) Human Resources Technician 2.00 2.00 2.00 3.00 1.00
Human Resources Total 6.00 6.00 7.00 7.00 -
Finance
Finance Director 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Finance 1.00 1.00 2.00 1.00 (1.00)
Senior Accountant 3.00 3.00 - 1.00 1.00
Accountant - - 2.00 2.00 -
Accounting Tech I/II 2.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 -
Accounting Clerk 1.00 - - - -
Finance Total 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 -
Communications
Manager
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 25
Final Final Adopted Adopted Position
Department Positions Positions Positions Positions Changes Authorized Position Title FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27 FY2026-27 Development Services
Development Services Director 1.00 - - 1.00 1.00
Deputy Director - 1.00 1.00 - (1.00)
City Engineer - 1.00 1.00 - (1.00)
Development Services Manager 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Building Official 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Senior Building Inspector 1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Building Inspector 2.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Development Services Technician 4.00 3.00 3.00 2.00 (1.00) Planning Manager 1.00 - - 1.00 1.00
Senior Planner 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Associate Planner 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Assistant Planner - 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Office Assistant I/II - - - 1.00 1.00
Management Analyst I/II 1.00 2.00 2.00 1.00 (1.00)
Code Enforcement Officer 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Senior Engineer - 1.00 1.00 - (1.00)
Assistant Engineer - 1.00 2.00 - (2.00)
Construction Inspector - 1.00 1.00 - (1.00)
Junior Engineer - 1.00 - - -
Development Services Total 17.00 22.00 22.00 17.00 (5.00) Public Safety
Police Chief 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Police Captain 2.00 2.00 1.00 1.00 -
Police Lieutenant - - 2.00 2.00 -
Police Sergeant 7.00 7.00 6.00 6.00 -
Police Officer 16.00 16.00 17.00 18.00 1.00
Police Corporal 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 -
Police Records Supervisor 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Records Specialist 3.00 2.00 2.00 2.00
Community Service Officer 2.00 2.00 4.00 4.00
Police Dispatch Supervisor - 1.00 1.00 1.00
Lead Police Dispatcher 1.00 - 1.00 1.00
Police Dispatcher 6.00 6.00 7.00 7.00
Executive Assistant 1.00 1.00 1.00 - (1.00)
Emergency Response Coordinator 1.00 - - - -
Crime Analyst - 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Management Analyst I/II - - - 1.00 1.00
Public Safety Total 47.00 46.00 51.00 52.00 1.00
Environmental Services & Utilities
Utilities and Environmental Director 1.00 - - - -
Senior Engineer 2.00 - - - -
Assistant Civil Engineer 1.00 - - - -
Sustainability Manager 1.00 - - - -
Sustainability Coordinator 1.00 - - - -
Management Analyst I/II 1.00 - - - -
Maintenance Supervisor 1.00 - - - -
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 26
Senior Wastewater Maintenance Worker 1.00 - - - -
Wastewater Maintenance Worker II 1.00 - - - -
Wastewater Maintenance Worker I 3.00 - - - -
Environmental Services & Utilities Total 13.00 - - - -
Final Final Adopted Adopted Position
Department Positions Positions Positions Positions Changes Authorized Position Title FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27 FY2026-27 Public Works
Public Works Director 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Capital Improvements Project Manager 1.00 1.00 - - -
Public Works Manager 1.00 - - - -
Transportation Services Manager 1.00 - - - -
Special Projects Manager 1.00 - - - -
Engineering Manager - - 1.00 1.00 -
Senior Engineer - 2.00 1.00 2.00 1.00
Associate Civil Engineer 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Assistant Engineer 1.00 1.00 1.00 5.00 4.00
Construction Inspector 1.00 - 2.00 2.00 -
Junior Engineer 1.00 1.00 - - -
Maintenance Supervisor 1.00 2.00 2.00 - (2.00)
Maintenance Lead Worker 1.00 1.00 1.00 - (1.00)
Maintenance Technician 1.00 1.00 1.00 - (1.00)
Maintenance Worker I/II 3.00 2.00 3.00 - (3.00)
Management Analyst I/II - 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Senior Wastewater Maintenance Worker - 1.00 1.00 - (1.00) Wastewater Maintenance Worker I/II - 5.00 4.00 - (4.00) Maintenance Superintendent - 0.50 0.50 - (0.50)
Public Works Total 15.00 20.50 20.50 13.00 (7.50)
Community Services
Community Services Director - - - 1.00 1.00
Parks & Recreation Director 1.00 1.00 1.00 - (1.00)
Deputy Director - 1.00 1.00 2.00 1.00
Recreation Manager 1.00 - - - -
Recreation Supervisor 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Recreation Coordinator 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 -
Executive Assistant 1.00 - - - -
Office Assistant I/II 1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Facilities Attendant Coordinator 1.00 1.00 - - -
Recreation Assistant - - - 1.00 1.00
Maintenance Supervisor 2.00 2.00 2.00 4.00 2.00
Maintenance Lead Worker 4.00 4.00 4.00 5.00 1.00
Senior Maintenance Technician 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Maintenance Technician 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Maintenance Worker I/II 10.00 9.00 9.00 13.00 4.00
Equipment Mechanic 1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Accounting Technician I - 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Capital Improvement Projects Manager - - 1.00 1.00 -
Projects Manager - 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Maintenance Superintendent - 0.50 0.50 - (0.50)
Senior Wastewater Maintenance Worker - - - 1.00 1.00
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 27
Wastewater Maintenance Worker I/II - - - 4.00 4.00
Community Services Total 31.00 33.50 33.50 47.00 13.50
Total full-time FTEs (not including City
Council) 149.00 150.00 157.00 159.00 2.00
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 28
Organizational Chart
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 29
Financial Summary
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 30
FUND STRUCTURE & DESCRIPTIONS
The City’s finances are organized into funds — separate fiscal and accounting entities, each with its own resources and purposes. The annual budget appropriates all of the funds shown below; the same funds appear in the Fund Balance Summary Schedule on the following pages. Governmental funds are budgeted on the modified accrual basis and proprietary funds on the full accrual basis, consistent with the City’s audited financial statements. The City’s ACFR presents these same funds, with fiduciary activities (if any) reported outside the budget.
Governmental Funds
General Fund (Major Fund)
The City’s chief operating fund, accounting for all resources not required to be reported elsewhere. It funds core services — public safety, community services, development services, public works engineering, and general government — supported primarily by property tax and other general revenues. The General Fund includes the Emergency & Operating Reserve and three Council-assigned sub-funds: Facility Maintenance, Fleet Vehicle Replacement, and Technology.
Special Revenue Funds
Account for revenues legally restricted or committed to specific purposes, including: Gas Tax (Highway Users Tax) and SB 1 Road Maintenance & Rehabilitation (street maintenance); Measure B and Vehicle Registration Fee (county transportation measures); Transportation Development Act (TDA); development impact fee funds (Traffic, Park, Public Safety, and General Government); Downtown Parking; PEG Fees; Public Art / Art in Lieu; Supplemental Law Enforcement (COPS); Vehicle Impound; Estate Donation; AB 1379 CASP; and the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG).
Capital Improvement Funds (Capital Projects Fund — Major Fund) The Capital Projects Fund accounts for the acquisition and construction of major capital facilities funded by General Fund transfers, grants, and other sources; the Equipment Replacement Fund accounts for scheduled replacement of City equipment. Project budgets are established through the five-year CIMMP.
Debt Service Funds
Account for the accumulation of resources for, and payment of, principal and interest on the City’s long-term obligations: General Debt Service, Los Altos Community Center, and Blue Oak Lane Sewer. See the Debt Obligations page of this section.
Proprietary Funds
Enterprise Funds — Sewer (Major Fund) and Solid Waste
Account for services financed primarily through user charges, in a manner similar to private business. The Sewer Fund supports operation, maintenance, and capital improvement of the sanitary sewer system through sewer service charges; the Solid Waste Fund accounts for solid-waste program administration.
Internal Service Funds
Account for services provided to City departments on a cost-reimbursement basis: PERS Reserve (pension rate stabilization), Dental/Vision, Unemployment, Workers’ Compensation, and Liability.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 31
Department / Fund Relationship
The matrix below shows the funds in which each City department’s activities are budgeted. Internal service funds are shown where a department administers the fund; all departments participate in internal service funds through cost allocations.
Department
General
Fund
Special
Revenue
Capital
Improvement
Debt
Service Enterprise InternalService
Legislative (City Council)
Executive (City Manager’s Office)
Finance
Human Resources
Development Services
Public Works Engineering
Public Safety
Community Services
Executive: PEG Fees, technology and grant-funded projects. Finance: citywide debt service administration, Solid Waste Fund administration, and internal service funds. Development Services: development impact fee funds and the General Plan update. Public Works Engineering: street and transportation funds (Gas Tax, SB 1, Measure B, VRF, TDA, Traffic Impact Fee), the Sewer Fund capital program, and the majority of CIMMP project delivery. Public Safety:
Supplemental Law Enforcement, Vehicle Impound, and Public Safety Impact Fee funds. Community Services: Park Impact Fee fund, parks capital projects, and sewer system maintenance operations within the Sewer Fund.
Major Funds
For budget presentation purposes, the City’s major funds are the General Fund, the Sewer Fund, and the Capital Projects Fund. Summary schedules for the General Fund and the enterprise funds — showing prior-year actuals, the current-year budget and projection, and the FY2026-27 budget — are presented in this Financial Summary section, and fund-level detail for every appropriated fund, including nonmajor funds, is presented in the Fund Balance Summary Schedule.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 32
REVENUE OVERVIEW & ASSUMPTIONS
This page describes the City’s major revenue sources, how each FY2026-27 estimate was developed, and the trends underlying those estimates. Revenue estimates are prepared by the Finance Department using historical trend analysis, current-year collection experience through the FY2025-26 projection, data from the Santa Clara County Assessor and the State of California, and department input on activity levels. Estimates are intentionally conservative. The sources described below account for approximately 96 percent of General Fund revenue; together with sewer service charges, they represent more than three-quarters of the revenue of all appropriated funds.
General Fund Source FY2026-27 Budget Share vs. FY26 Projection Property Tax $40,786,830 57% +3.5%
Community Development Fees 10,503,700 15% –4.8%
Other Taxes (TOT, business license, other) 5,118,013 7% +4.5% Utility Users Tax 3,654,303 5% –0.7%
Sales Tax 3,568,451 5% –1.8%
Franchise Fees 2,810,800 4% +0.2%
Interest Income 2,137,670 3% –5.0%
Recreation Fees 1,734,100 2% +6.9%
All Other Sources 1,720,372 2% +13.5%
Total General Fund Revenue $72,034,239 100% +1.7%
Property Tax — $40.8 million
The City’s largest and most stable revenue source. Under Proposition 13, property is taxed at 1 percent of assessed value, with assessed value growth capped at 2 percent per year until a change of ownership or new construction triggers reassessment at market value. The tax is levied and collected by Santa Clara County, which allocates a share to the City.
The FY2026-27 estimate assumes 3.5 percent growth over the FY2025-26 projection, based on the County’s assessed valuation roll, historical growth in the City’s residential tax base, and continued strength of local property values. Los Altos property tax has grown steadily from $34.4 million in FY2023-24, reflecting turnover-driven reassessment in a high-value residential market.
Community Development Fees — $10.5 million
Building permit, plan check, planning, and related fees charged under the Council-adopted Citywide Fee Schedule to recover the cost of development review services. This source is the City’s most activity-sensitive: receipts rose from $5.7 million in FY2023-24 to a projected $11.0 million in FY2025-26 with elevated construction activity. The FY2026-27 estimate is developed from permit volume and project pipeline data provided by Development Services and is set approximately 5 percent below the current-year projection to allow for normalization of activity.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 33
Other Taxes — $5.1 million
Principally the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), together with business license tax, property transfer tax, and construction tax. The TOT is levied at 14 percent on hotel stays, the rate approved by Los Altos voters in November 2018 (an increase from 11 percent to a maximum of 14 percent) and reaffirmed by Council resolution each year following budget adoption.
The estimate reflects current-year collections and modest growth in lodging activity.
Utility Users Tax — $3.7 million
Levied at 3.5 percent on electricity, gas, and telecommunications services under Chapter 3.40 of the Municipal Code; the rate is reaffirmed annually by Council resolution. The estimate is based on FY2025-26 collections, essentially flat year-overyear, reflecting energy-efficiency trends and the continued decline of taxable telecommunications services.
Sales Tax — $3.6 million
The City receives the Bradley-Burns 1 percent local share of the State sales and use tax on transactions occurring in Los Altos. Because the City is predominantly residential with neighborhood-serving retail, sales tax is a comparatively modest source. The estimate is based on current-year receipts by economic segment and statewide consumption trends, and anticipates a slight decline (–1.8 percent) from the FY2025-26 projection.
Franchise Fees — $2.8 million
Payments from utility and service providers — solid waste, gas and electric, and video — for use of the public right-of-way, generally calculated as a percentage of provider gross receipts under franchise agreements. Estimated from current-year receipts; essentially flat.
Interest Income — $2.1 million
Earnings on the City’s pooled investment portfolio, invested per Government Code §53600 et seq. The estimate applies expected portfolio yield to projected average cash balances, and anticipates a modest decline from FY2025-26 as market rates ease and capital spending draws down invested balances.
Recreation Fees — $1.7 million
Charges for recreation classes, camps, sports programs, senior programs, and facility rentals under the Citywide Fee Schedule, set with reference to cost recovery. Estimated from program registration trends and planned FY2026-27 program offerings.
Other Funds — Major Sources
Sewer service charges ($14.5 million, Sewer Fund): user charges billed on the property tax roll, based on adopted rates and account/usage data; the FY2026-27 estimate reflects adopted rates applied to the existing customer base. Streets and roads revenues: State Highway Users Tax (Gas Tax) and SB 1 RMRA allocations are estimated from State per-capita projections; Measure B and Vehicle Registration Fee revenues from Santa Clara County VTA programming. Development impact fees: Traffic, Park, Public Safety, and General Government impact fees are estimated from projected development activity at rates adopted under the Mitigation Fee Act and reported annually in the City’s AB 1600 reports.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 34
FY2025-26 ADOPTED BUDGET, AS AMENDED – FUND BALANCE SUMMARY
SCHEDULE
Beginning
Balance
Budgeted
Revenues
Transfers
In
Total
Inflows
Budgeted
Expenditures
Transfers
Out
Total
Outflows
Ending
Balance
01 General Fund
Unassigned Fund
Balance 22,912,816 65,113,717 5,073,500 70,187,217 (56,798,353) (15,605,513) (72,403,866) 20,696,167 Nonspendable/Assigned
Inventory and prepaids 213,821 - - - - - - 213,821
Emergency &
Operating Reserve 10,171,485 - 279,295 279,295 - - - 10,450,780 Veteran Memorial
Reserve 8,615 - - - - - - 8,615
67 Facility
Maintenance Fund 12,000,000 - 5,000,000 5,000,000 (984,000) - (984,000) 16,016,000 44 Fleet Vehicle Fund 2,000,000 - - - (931,000) - (931,000) 1,069,000 61 Technology Fund 827,484 125,000 850,000 975,000 (1,718,713) - (1,718,713) 83,771 Total General Fund 48,134,221 65,238,717 11,202,795 76,441,512 (60,432,066) (15,605,513) (76,037,579) 48,538,153 Capital Improvement
Funds
62 Capital Projects Fund (394,476) 1,625,891 5,800,000 7,425,891 (8,252,657) (20,754) (8,273,411) (1,241,996) 65 Equipment
Replacement Fund 576,628 - - - (396,000) - (396,000) 180,628 Total Capital
Improvement Fund 182,152 1,625,891 5,800,000 7,425,891 (8,648,657) (20,754) (8,669,411) (1,061,368) Internal Service Funds
03 PERS Reserve 7,048,384 - - - - (5,000,000) (5,000,000) 2,048,384 40 Dental/Vision Fund 328,545 - 792,000 792,000 (686,283) - (686,283) 434,262 41 Unemployment Fund 44,799 - - - - - - 44,799
42 Workers
Compensation Fund 2,001,572 - 1,174,000 1,174,000 (1,174,000) - (1,174,000) 2,001,572 43 Liability Fund 1,024,451 - 1,535,000 1,535,000 (1,535,000) - (1,535,000) 1,024,451 Total Internal Service
Fund 10,447,751 - 3,501,000 3,501,000 (3,395,284) (5,000,000) (8,395,284) 5,553,467 Special Revenue Funds
04 Measure B - 1,026,278 - 1,026,278 (1,026,278) - (1,026,278) - 06 Public safety Impact
Fee 11,778 10,818 - 10,818 - - - 22,596
07 SB1 Road
Maintenance Rehab 2,014,365 801,214 - 801,214 (801,214) - (801,214) 2,014,365 10 General Govt. Impact
Fee 17,067 - - - - - - 17,067
11 Vehicle Impound
Fund (24,415) 15,450 - 15,450 - - - (8,965)
Note: Amounts are rounded to whole dollars; totals may not sum precisely due to rounding.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 35
FY2025-26 ADOPTED BUDGET, AS AMENDED – FUND BALANCE SUMMARY SCHEDULE (continued)
Beginning
Balance
Budgeted
Revenues
Transfers
In
Total
Inflows
Budgeted
Expenditures
Transfers
Out
Total
Outflows
Ending
Balance
13 Supplemental Law
Enforcement Fund 238,240 148,695 - 148,695 - - - 386,935 14 Gas Tax Fund 1,890,187 1,183,675 - 1,183,675 (1,183,675) - (1,183,675) 1,890,187 20 PEG Fees 346,808 50,000 - 50,000 (50,000) - (50,000) 346,808 21 Art in Lieu 677,534 - - - - (73,500) (73,500) 604,034 24 Vehicle Registration
Fund 1,400,734 740,644 - 740,644 (740,644) - (740,644) 1,400,734 25 TDA Fund 644 106,547 20,754 127,301 (106,547) - (106,547) 21,398 26 Traffic Impact Fee
Fund 901,115 120,000 - 120,000 (283,000) - (283,000) 738,115 27 Park Impact Fee
Fund 19,412,446 3,000,000 - 3,000,000 (6,919,365) (748,145) (7,667,510) 14,744,936 28 Downtown Parking
Fund 984,821 65,000 - 65,000 (650,000) - (650,000) 399,821 29 Estate Donation Fund 18,639 - - - - - - 18,639
64 AB-1379 CASP Fee 116,499 - - - - - - 116,499
18 One Bay Area Grant
(OBAG) - 1,120,000 - 1,120,000 (1,120,000) - (1,120,000) - Total Special Revenue
Fund 28,006,462 8,388,320 20,754 8,409,074 (12,880,723) (821,645) (13,702,368) 22,713,168 Debt Service Funds
73 General Debt Service 222,723 - 175,219 175,219 (168,600) - (168,600) 229,342 74 LA Community
Center 2 - 748,145 748,145 (622,090) - (622,090) 126,057 91 Blue Oak Lane Sewer 85,300 51,800 - 51,800 (51,800) - (51,800) 85,300 Total Debt Service Fund 308,025 51,800 923,364 975,164 (842,490) - (842,490) 440,699 Enterprise Fund
30 Sewer Fund 30,553,864 12,547,065 - 12,547,065 (11,723,128) - (11,723,128) 31,377,801 35 Solid Waste Fund 2,203,334 1,190,400 - 1,190,400 (2,326,451) - (2,326,451) 1,067,283 Total Enterprise Fund 32,757,198 13,737,465 - 13,737,465 (14,049,579) - (14,049,579) 32,445,084 ALL FUNDS TOTAL 119,835,809 89,042,193 21,447,913 110,490,106 (100,248,799) (21,447,912) (121,696,711) 108,629,204 Note: Amounts are rounded to whole dollars; totals may not sum precisely due to rounding.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 36
FY2026-27 FUND BALANCE SUMMARY SCHEDULE – ESTIMATED BEGINNING
BALANCES
Beginning
Balance
Budgeted
Revenues
Transfers
In
Total
Inflows
Budgeted
Expenditures
Transfers
Out
Total
Outflows
Ending
Balance
01 General Fund
Unassigned Fund
Balance 20,696,167 72,034,239 - 72,034,239 (63,236,120) (8,118,244) (71,354,364) 21,376,042 Nonspendable/Assigned
Inventory and prepaids 213,821 - - - - - - 213,821
Emergency &
Operating Reserve 10,450,780 - 866,806 866,806 - - - 11,317,586 Veteran Memorial
Reserve 8,615 - - - - - - 8,615
67 Facility
Maintenance Fund 16,016,000 - - - (444,300) - (444,300) 15,571,700 44 Fleet Vehicle Fund 1,069,000 - - - (909,450) - (909,450) 159,550 61 Technology Fund 83,771 125,000 - 125,000 (1,263,923) - (1,263,923) (1,055,152) Total General Fund 48,538,153 72,159,239 866,806 73,026,045 (65,853,793) (8,118,244) (73,972,037) 47,592,162 Capital Improvement
Funds
62 Capital Projects Fund (1,241,996) 1,069,597 5,624,838 6,694,435 (12,105,544) - (12,105,544) (6,653,105) 65 Equipment
Replacement Fund 180,628 - 98,000 98,000 (98,000) - (98,000) 180,628 Total Capital
Improvement Fund (1,061,368) 1,069,597 5,722,838 6,792,435 (12,203,544) - (12,203,544) (6,472,477) Internal Service Funds
03 PERS Reserve 2,048,384 - - - - - 2,048,384
40 Dental/Vision Fund 434,262 - - - (650,000) (650,000) (215,738) 41 Unemployment Fund 44,799 - - - - - 44,799
42 Workers
Compensation Fund 2,001,572 - - - (1,259,851) (1,259,851) 741,721 43 Liability Fund 1,024,451 - 1,100,000 1,100,000 (1,483,700) (1,483,700) 640,751 Total Internal Service
Fund 5,553,467 - 1,100,000 1,100,000 (3,393,551) - (3,393,551) 3,259,916 Special Revenue Funds
04 Measure B - - - - (881,834) - (881,834) (881,834)
06 Public safety Impact
Fee 22,596 6,000 - 6,000 - - - 28,596
07 SB1 Road
Maintenance Rehab 2,014,365 890,016 - 890,016 (925,922) - (925,922) 1,978,459 10 General Govt. Impact
Fee 17,067 8,000 - 8,000 - - - 25,067
11 Vehicle Impound
Fund (8,965) 15,000 - 15,000 - - - 6,035
Note: Amounts are rounded to whole dollars; totals may not sum precisely due to rounding.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 37
FY2026-27 FUND BALANCE SUMMARY SCHEDULE – ESTIMATED BEGINNING BALANCES (continued)
Beginning
Balance
Budgeted
Revenues
Transfers
In
Total
Inflows
Budgeted
Expenditures
Transfers
Out
Total
Outflows
Ending
Balance
13 Supplemental Law
Enforcement Fund 386,935 100,000 - 100,000 - - - 486,935 14 Gas Tax Fund 1,890,187 929,343 - 929,343 (1,781,419) - (1,781,419) 1,038,111 20 PEG Fees 346,808 - - - (29,486) - (29,486) 317,322
21 Public Art Fund 604,034 - - - - - - 604,034
24 Vehicle Registration
Fund 1,400,734 500,000 - 500,000 (1,095,467) - (1,095,467) 805,267 25 TDA Fund 21,398 - - - (26,610) - (26,610) (5,212)
26 Traffic Impact Fee
Fund 738,115 175,000 - 175,000 (283,000) - (283,000) 630,115 27 Park Impact Fee
Fund 14,744,936 2,000,000 - 2,000,000 (4,434,236) (622,090) (5,056,326) 11,688,610 28 Downtown Parking
Fund 399,821 65,000 - 65,000 (1,000,020) 250,000 (750,020) (285,199) 29 Estate Donation
Fund 18,639 - - - - - - 18,639
64 AB-1379 CASP Fee 116,499 10,000 - 10,000 - - - 126,499 18 One Bay Area Grant
(OBAG) - 1,122,688 - 1,122,688 (1,120,000) - (1,120,000) 2,688 Total Internal Service
Fund 22,713,168 5,821,047 - 5,821,047 (11,577,995) (372,090) (11,950,085) 16,584,130 Debt Service Funds
73 General Debt Service 229,342 - 178,600 178,600 (178,600) - (178,600) 229,342 74 LA Community
Center 126,057 - 622,090 622,090 (622,090) - (622,090) 126,057 91 Blue Oak Lane Sewer 85,300 51,800 - 51,800 (49,800) - (49,800) 87,300 Total Internal Service
Fund 440,699 51,800 800,690 852,490 (850,490) - (850,490) 442,699 Enterprise Funds
30 Sewer Fund 31,377,801 15,119,776 - 15,119,776 (11,357,368) - (11,357,368) 35,140,209 35 Solid Waste Fund 1,067,283 1,202,074 - 1,202,074 (2,373,718) - (2,373,718) (104,361) Total Enterprise Fund 32,445,084 16,321,851 - 16,321,851 (13,731,087) - (13,731,087) 35,035,848 ALL FUNDS TOTAL 108,629,204 95,423,533 8,490,334 103,913,867 (107,610,460) (8,490,334) (116,100,794) 96,442,278 Note: Amounts are rounded to whole dollars; totals may not sum precisely due to rounding.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 38
FUND BALANCE OVERVIEW
What Fund Balance Is
Fund balance is the difference between a governmental fund’s assets and its liabilities — the accumulated resources available to that fund. For proprietary (enterprise and internal service) funds, the comparable measure is net position. In accordance with GASB Statement No. 54, governmental fund balance is classified by the constraints on its use: nonspendable (not in spendable form, such as inventory and prepaid items), restricted (constrained by external parties or law, such as impact fees and gas tax), committed and assigned (constrained by Council action or intent, such as the Emergency & Operating Reserve and the Facility Maintenance, Fleet Vehicle, and Technology sub-funds), and unassigned (available for any purpose).
Reading the Schedules
The Fund Balance Summary Schedules on the preceding pages present, for every appropriated fund, the beginning balance, budgeted revenues and transfers in, budgeted expenditures and transfers out, and the resulting ending balance — first for FY2025-26 as amended, then for FY2026-27 based on estimated beginning balances. Citywide, fund balance is budgeted to decrease from $108.6 million at July 1, 2026 to $96.4 million at June 30, 2027, a planned reduction of $12.2 million that reflects the deliberate application of accumulated resources — primarily restricted capital funding — to the FY2026-27 capital program rather than any imbalance in ongoing operations.
Significant Changes in Fund Balance (Greater Than 10 Percent) General Fund — stable. Total General Fund balance is budgeted to decline modestly (about 2 percent, from $48.5 million to $47.6 million), while the unassigned balance grows and the 20 percent Emergency & Operating Reserve remains fully funded. Recurring revenues exceed recurring expenditures; the net decline reflects planned spending from the Facility Maintenance, Fleet Vehicle, and Technology sub-funds on items accumulated for in prior years.
Capital Improvement Funds — planned decline. The Capital Projects Fund balance decreases as multiyear projects funded through prior-year transfers — including the Library construction and other major CIMMP projects — move into construction and expend appropriations accumulated in earlier periods.
Deficit balances shown in this fund reflect the timing of project expenditures relative to funding transfers and reimbursements across fiscal years.
Special Revenue Funds — planned decline of approximately 27 percent. Balances decrease from $22.7 million to $16.6 million as restricted resources are put to their intended uses: Park Impact Fee balances fund park and playground projects, and Gas Tax, SB 1, Measure B, and Vehicle Registration Fee balances fund the FY2026-27 street resurfacing, striping, and safety program. Spending these restricted balances on eligible projects is consistent with the Mitigation Fee Act’s expectation that impact fees be committed or expended within five years, as documented in the City’s AB 1600 and five-year findings reports.
Enterprise Funds — Sewer Fund increase of approximately 12 percent. Sewer Fund net position grows from $31.4 million to $35.0 million as sewer service charge revenues exceed current-year operating and capital costs, building capacity for the multi-year sewer main replacement and rehabilitation program identified in the FY2027-31 CIMMP.
Internal Service Funds — planned decline. Balances decrease as accumulated resources are applied to their purposes, including liability and workers’ compensation claim costs and employee benefit costs charged to the funds during the year.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 39
GENERAL FUND SUMMARY
FY2023/24
Actual
FY2024/25
Actual
FY2025/26
Budget
FY2025/26
Projection
FY2026/27
Budget
% Change over
FY26
Projection
% Change
over FY26
Budget
Taxes 45,692,947 48,391,117 50,741,767 51,622,903 53,127,597 2.9% 4.7% Fees 9,884,055 14,245,789 11,573,254 15,463,527 15,048,600 -2.7% 30.0% Interest 2,455,767 2,114,807 1,656,000 2,250,179 2,137,670 -5.0% 29.1% Misc. Revenue 1,422,260 2,074,730 1,142,696 1,516,810 1,720,372 13.4% 50.6% One Time Revenue - - - - -
Total General Fund
Revenue 59,455,029 66,826,443 65,113,717 70,853,418 72,034,239 1.7% 10.6%
PROGRAM
EXPENDITURES
FY2023/24
Actual
FY2024/25
Actual
FY2025/26
Budget
FY2025/26
Projection
FY2026/27
Budget
% Change over
FY26
Projection
% Change
over FY26
Budget
Legislative 584,065 831,179 1,018,533 941,719 1,241,596 31.8% 21.9% City Manager's Office 5,248,766 4,730,211 4,547,263 4,416,975 5,325,706 20.6% 17.1% Finance 2,392,063 1,943,698 2,565,376 1,636,657 2,540,861 55.2% -1.0% Human Resources 1,827,293 1,764,441 2,066,391 1,673,622 2,175,486 30.0% 5.3% Development Services 4,598,636 5,476,638 6,367,951 5,471,355 6,300,984 15.2% -1.1% Public Works 2,367,066 2,160,758 2,677,976 2,586,001 3,316,144 28.2% 23.8% Public Safety 22,006,310 24,326,347 27,016,213 31,771,488 29,547,688 -7.0% 9.4% Community Services 8,635,454 9,793,975 10,435,278 10,403,603 12,787,655 22.9% 22.5% Total General Fund
Expenditure 47,659,654 51,027,247 56,694,982 58,901,420 63,236,120 7.4% 11.5% Transfers In / (Out) (1,578,000) (20,065,209) (15,252,719) (15,940,836) (8,118,244) Revenues over
Expenditures Surplus /
(Deficit) Before Transfers
11,795,375 15,799,196 8,418,735 11,951,998 8,798,119 -26.4% 4.5% Revenues over
Expenditures Surplus /
(Deficit) After Transfers
10,217,375 (4,266,013) (6,833,984) (3,988,838) 679,875
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 40
GENERAL FUND REVENUE SUMMARY
FY2023/24
Actual
FY2024/25
Actual
FY2025/26
Budget
FY2025/26
Projection
FY2026/27
Budget
% Change over
FY26
Projection
% Change
over FY26
Budget
Property Tax 34,410,697 36,186,927 38,243,942 39,414,000 40,786,830 3.5% 6.6% Sales Tax 3,442,623 3,591,444 3,592,738 3,633,101 3,568,451 -1.8% -0.7% Utility Users Tax 3,517,437 3,725,468 4,128,018 3,678,270 3,654,303 -0.7% -11.5% Other Taxes 4,322,189 4,887,279 4,777,069 4,897,531 5,118,013 4.5% 7.1% Franchise Fees 2,608,195 2,799,296 2,842,464 2,806,194 2,810,800 0.2% -1.1% Recreation Fees 1,598,589 1,437,297 1,647,790 1,622,221 1,734,100 6.9% 5.2% Community
Development Fees 5,677,271 10,009,197 7,083,000 11,035,112 10,503,700 -4.8% 48.3% Intergovernmental 23,238 - - - - 0.0% 0.0%
Grants and Donations 806,765 9,900 10,000 5,067 10,000 97.4% 0.0% Interest Income 2,455,767 2,114,807 1,656,000 2,250,179 2,137,670 -5.0% 29.1% Miscellaneous Revenue 592,257 2,064,830 1,132,696 1,511,743 1,710,372 13.1% 51.0% Total General Fund
Revenue 59,455,029 66,826,443 65,113,717 70,853,418 72,034,239 1.7% 10.6% One-Time Revenue - - - - -
Transfer In - 500,000 - 8,666,500 -
Total General Fund
Revenue/Transfers In 59,455,029 67,326,443 65,113,717 79,519,918 72,034,239 -9.4% 10.6% FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 41
GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE SUMMARY
FY2023/24
Actual
FY2024/25
Actual
FY2025/26
Budget
FY2025/26
Projection
FY2026/27
Budget
% Change over
FY26 Projection
% Change over
FY26 Budget
LEGISLATIVE
11110-City Council 584,065 831,179 1,018,533 941,719 1,241,596 31.8% 21.9% Total City Council 584,065 831,179 1,018,533 941,719 1,241,596 31.8% 21.9%
CITY MANAGER'S
OFFICE
12100-City Manager 975,308 1,087,610 920,084 1,474,533 1,058,290 -28.2% 15.0% 13100-City Attorney 1,369,103 1,210,165 817,000 943,172 800,000 -15.2% -2.1% 14100-City Clerk 530,646 585,069 700,038 541,483 598,898 10.6% -14.4% 12400-Public
Information 320,545 217,760 109,330 132,383 542,095 309.5% 395.8% 12500-Emergency
Preparedness 55,624 41,307 10,000 - 70,500 100.0% 6.0%
12600-Sustainability 138,795 - 414,525 - 387,138 100.0% -6.6% 12300-Economic
Development 416,710 241,588 249,415 211,327 264,598 25.2% 6.1% 12200-Information
Technology 1,442,033 1,346,711 1,326,872 1,114,076 1,604,187 44.0% 20.9% Total City Manager's
Office 5,248,766 4,730,211 4,547,263 4,416,975 5,325,706 20.6% 17.1% 25100-Finance 2,023,378 1,701,366 1,875,616 1,328,268 2,061,495 55.2% 9.9% 26100-Non
Department 368,685 242,333 689,760 308,389 479,366 55.4% -30.5% Total Finance 2,392,063 1,943,698 2,565,376 1,636,657 2,540,861 55.2% -1.0% 21100-Human
Resources 1,827,293 1,764,441 2,066,391 1,673,622 2,175,486 30.0% 5.3%
DEVELOPMENT
SERVICES
31100-Planning 2,685,792 2,545,766 2,891,600 2,166,639 3,019,799 39.4% 4.4% 32200-Inspections 1,672,910 2,759,135 3,078,886 3,050,501 3,020,936 -1.0% -1.9% 35100-Business
License 89,251 23,440 110,906 57,454 118,128 105.6% 6.5% 36100-Code
Enforcement 150,683 148,297 286,560 196,760 142,122 -27.8% -50.4% Total Development
Services 4,598,636 5,476,638 6,367,951 5,471,355 6,300,984 15.2% -1.1%
PUBLIC WORKS
41100-Engineering 1,212,366 1,219,413 1,206,547 1,230,232 1,205,174 -2.0% -0.1% 41200-Traffic Control 828,887 591,305 859,699 969,434 1,720,404 77.5% 100.1% 44200-Urban Runoff 325,813 229,602 330,285 289,637 390,565 34.8% 18.3% 38100-Land Use
Engineering - 120,438 281,445 96,699 - -100.0% -100.0%
Total Public Works 2,367,066 2,160,758 2,677,976 2,586,001 3,316,144 28.2% 23.8% FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 42
GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE SUMMARY (continued)
FY2023/24
Actual
FY2024/25
Actual
FY2025/26
Budget
FY2025/26
Projection
FY2026/27
Budget
% Change over
FY26 Projection
% Change
over FY26
Budget
PUBLIC SAFETY
61100-Administration 2,007,285 3,050,603 3,032,569 4,636,832 4,047,389 -12.7% 33.5% 62100-Support Services 2,459,448 2,854,810 3,648,776 4,016,002 4,248,415 5.8% 16.4% 62200-Investigation
Services 1,524,816 1,803,310 1,326,267 1,162,959 1,958,780 68.4% 47.7% 63200-Traffic Operations 1,643,910 1,767,767 1,138,318 1,022,804 1,190,973 16.4% 4.6% 63300-Patrol Services 5,744,867 6,604,883 8,146,234 9,336,451 7,973,646 -14.6% -2.1% 63400-Crossing Guard - - - 372,390 357,696 -3.9% 100.0% 66100-Fire Services 8,625,984 8,244,974 9,724,050 11,224,050 9,770,790 -12.9% 0.5% Total Public Safety 22,006,310 24,326,347 27,016,213 31,771,488 29,547,688 -7.0% 9.4%
COMMUNITY SERVICES
71100-REC Administration 1,381,190 1,288,965 1,460,724 1,154,039 1,885,065 63.3% 29.1% 72xxx-Facilities 400,937 491,548 367,540 488,373 456,870 -6.5% 24.3% 73100-Tiny Tots 356,245 293,552 254,389 393,193 - -100.0% -100.0% 74100-Community Events 60,643 93,520 142,098 87,284 153,939 76.4% 8.3% 76100-Teen Program 68,561 71,956 98,302 59,882 102,711 71.5% 4.5% 77500-Camps-Contracts 28,548 62,883 48,000 57,355 48,000 -16.3% 0.0% 77400-Camps-Programs 151,440 238,439 344,096 227,223 352,372 55.1% 2.4% 77200-Classes-Youth 223,438 30,814 54,033 26,547 114,082 329.7% 111.1% 77300-Classes-Adults 40,926 215,479 228,001 273,964 297,633 8.6% 30.5% 78200-Sports Junior High 132,947 157,959 165,112 117,764 176,662 50.0% 7.0% 78300-Adult Sports 1,711 108 - - - 0.0% 0.0%
79100-Seniors Operations 262,840 292,678 317,276 284,146 385,852 35.8% 21.6% 79200-Seniors Activities 36,151 52,786 152,700 70,326 167,700 138.5% 9.8% 51100-MSC
Administration 238,591 513,348 477,957 352,487 451,509 28.1% -5.5% 53100-Street
Maintenance 678,289 799,931 847,123 738,290 1,756,566 137.9% 107.4% 51200-Fleet Maintenance 280,083 380,019 516,837 333,184 503,396 51.1% -2.6% 51400-Parks and Street
Landscaping 3,104,082 3,471,104 3,789,690 4,139,648 4,433,034 7.1% 17.0% 51500-Facility
Maintenance 1,188,832 1,338,886 1,171,400 1,599,898 1,502,262 -6.1% 28.2% Total Parks & Recreation 8,635,454 9,793,975 10,435,278 10,403,603 12,787,655 22.9% 22.5% Total General Fund
Expenditures 47,659,654 51,027,247 56,694,982 58,901,420 63,236,120 7.4% 11.5% Transfer Out 1,578,000 20,565,209 15,252,719 24,607,336 8,118,244 Total General Fund
Expenditures/Transfers
Out
49,237,654 71,592,456 71,947,701 83,508,756 71,354,364 -14.6% -0.8% FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 43
ENTERPRISE FUND SUMMARY
FY2023/24
Actual
FY2024/25
Actual
FY2025/26
Budget
FY2025/26
Projection
FY2026/27
Budget
SEWER FUND FY2023/24
Actual
FY2024/25
Actual
FY2025/26
Budget
FY2025/26
Projection
FY2026/27
Budget
Beginning Net Position 30,553,865 32,899,043
Unrestricted Net Position 16,710,691
Interest Income 403,753 553,085 310,500 602,642 576,407 Sewer Charges 10,383,108 10,501,872 12,202,565 12,393,184 14,526,369 Sewer Connection Fees 1,085 145,214 14,000 8,895 7,000
Misc. Sewer Fees 25,825 187,377 20,000 60,259 10,000
Total Revenues 10,813,771 11,387,549 12,547,065 13,064,980 15,119,776 Sewer Administration 7,572,122 7,421,132 7,584,710 7,318,045 6,406,174 Sewer System Maintenance 378,203 1,768,896 2,249,544 2,241,195 2,411,265 Capital Program 224,591 531,147 2,263,582 1,160,562 2,154,929 Total Expenditures 8,174,916 9,721,175 12,097,837 10,719,801 10,972,368 Operating Surplus / (Deficit) 2,863,446 2,197,521 2,712,810 3,505,740 6,302,337 Change in Net Position (Including
Capital) 2,638,855 1,666,374 449,228 2,345,178 4,147,408 Transfer In / (Out) (720,000) - - - -
Ending Net Position 32,899,043 37,046,451
SOLID WASTE FUND FY2023/24
Actual
FY2024/25
Actual
FY2025/26
Budget
FY2025/26
Projection
FY2026/27
Budget
Beginning Net Position
(Unrestricted) 2,203,334 967,362
Interest Income 229,463 178,688 103,500 137,602 125,206 Administrative Charges 951,996 1,062,492 1,048,900 946,549 1,064,868 AB939 Tax - 12,300 38,000 9,694 12,000
Grants and donations - - - - -
Total Revenues 1,181,459 1,085,000 1,085,000 1,093,844 1,202,074 Solid Waste Administration - 2,411,198 2,427,641 2,329,817 2,373,718 Total Expenditures - 2,411,198 2,427,641 2,329,817 2,373,718 Net Operations 1,181,459 (1,326,198) (1,342,641) (1,235,972) (1,171,644) Transfer In / (Out) - - - - 500,000
Ending Net Position 967,362 295,718
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 44
DEBT OBLIGATIONS
Overview
The City of Los Altos funds its capital program primarily on a pay-as-you-go basis and carries a limited amount of longterm obligations. The FY2026-27 Adopted Budget includes no new borrowing. Debt service on existing obligations is fully appropriated in three dedicated debt service funds, and existing debt service represents less than 1.5 percent of citywide budgeted expenditures — a level that does not constrain current operations.
FY2026-27 Debt Service Appropriations
Debt Service Fund Purpose FY2026-27 Debt Service
General Debt Service (Fund 73) General government obligations $178,600 Los Altos Community Center
(Fund 74)
Community Center facility financing 622,090
Blue Oak Lane Sewer (Fund 91) Blue Oak Lane sewer assessment district 49,800 Total FY2026-27 Debt Service $850,490
Debt service in the Community Center and General Debt Service funds is supported by General Fund transfers; the Blue Oak Lane Sewer obligation is supported by assessment revenues. Fund-level detail appears in the Fund Balance Summary Schedule.
Legal Debt Limit
Under California Government Code §43605, a general law city’s general obligation bonded indebtedness may not exceed 15 percent of the assessed value of taxable property (a limit commonly expressed as 3.75 percent of full market-value assessed valuation, reflecting the statute’s origin in 25-percent assessment ratios). The City has no outstanding general obligation bonds subject to this limit; the obligations shown above are lease- and assessment-supported and are not general obligation debt. The City’s debt capacity therefore remains substantially unused.
Detail on each obligation — original issuance amounts and terms, and scheduled principal and interest payments through maturity — is presented in the long-term liabilities note to the City’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), available on the City website. Amounts above are the total FY2026-27 debt service appropriations adopted with this budget. The City has no outstanding rated general obligation bonds; the lease- and assessmentsupported obligations shown above are not rated bonded debt.
Effect on Current and Future Operations
Because existing debt service is modest, fixed, and fully appropriated, it has no material effect on the City’s ability to fund current services. The City’s long-term obligation strategy focuses instead on its largest liability — pension obligations — through the PERS Reserve internal service fund and additional discretionary payments toward the CalPERS unfunded accrued liability, as described in the Financial Policies section.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 45
LONG-RANGE OPERATING FORECAST
This forecast extends the FY2026-27 Adopted Budget three years forward for the City’s two largest operating funds — the General Fund and the Sewer Fund — to test whether current service levels remain affordable under conservative assumptions. Forecast years are a planning tool, not appropriations: the City Council appropriates one year at a time, and each year’s budget is rebuilt from zero. The significance of the forecast is its central finding: recurring revenues continue to exceed recurring expenditures in both funds throughout the forecast period, preserving the City’s ability to fund reserves and capital investment, though the General Fund operating margin narrows as expenditure growth outpaces revenue growth.
General Fund Forecast
FY2026-27
Adopted
FY2027-28
Forecast
FY2028-29
Forecast
FY2029-30
Forecast
Property Tax (+3.5%/yr) $40,786,830 $42,214,369 $43,691,872 $45,221,088 Sales, Utility Users & Franchise (+1%/yr) 10,033,554 10,133,890 10,235,229 10,337,581 Other Taxes (+2%/yr) 5,118,013 5,220,373 5,324,780 5,431,276 Community Development Fees (–5% FY28, then flat) 10,503,700 9,978,515 9,978,515 9,978,515 Recreation, Grants & Miscellaneous (+2%/yr) 3,454,472 3,523,561 3,594,032 3,665,913 Interest Income (flat) 2,137,670 2,137,670 2,137,670 2,137,670 Total Revenues $72,034,239 $73,208,378 $74,962,098 $76,772,043 Salaries & Benefits (+4%/yr) 38,337,148 39,870,634 41,465,459 43,124,077 Services, Supplies & Other (+3%/yr) 24,898,972 25,645,941 26,415,319 27,207,779 Total Operating Expenditures $63,236,120 $65,516,575 $67,880,778 $70,331,856 Operating Surplus Before Transfers $8,798,119 $7,691,803 $7,081,320 $6,440,187 Emergency & Operating Reserve at 20% 12,647,224 13,103,315 13,576,156 14,066,371 Revenue assumptions: property tax growth of 3.5 percent annually, consistent with the FY2026-27 estimate and County assessed-valuation trends; consumer-based taxes essentially flat in real terms; community development fees normalizing 5 percent below the FY2026-27 level and holding, reflecting a return toward historical activity; interest earnings held flat as easing rates offset portfolio growth. Expenditure assumptions: salaries and benefits at 4 percent annually, reflecting negotiated compensation and CalPERS contribution-rate trends; services, supplies, and other costs at 3 percent, consistent with regional inflation. No new positions, programs, or revenue measures are assumed.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 46
What the General Fund Forecast Means
The operating surplus before transfers narrows from $8.8 million to $6.4 million over the forecast period because expenditures grow at roughly 3.6 percent per year while revenues grow at roughly 2.1 percent. That surplus is the source of the City’s annual transfers to the capital program and debt service ($8.1 million in FY2026-27); a narrowing surplus therefore translates into less pay-as-you-go capital capacity in the out-years, not into operating deficits. The 20 percent Emergency & Operating Reserve remains fully funded in every forecast year. The principal risks to this outlook are State actions affecting local revenues, CalPERS investment performance and contribution rates, a sharper-than-assumed slowdown in development activity, and construction and insurance cost escalation.
Sewer Fund Forecast
FY2026-27
Adopted
FY2027-28
Forecast
FY2028-29
Forecast
FY2029-30
Forecast
Sewer Service Charges (+3%/yr) $14,526,369 $14,962,160 $15,411,025 $15,873,356 Interest, Connection & Misc. Fees (flat) 593,407 593,407 593,407 593,407 Total Revenues $15,119,776 $15,555,567 $16,004,432 $16,466,763 Operations & Maintenance (+3%/yr) 8,817,439 9,081,962 9,354,421 9,635,054 Capital Program (per adopted CIMMP) 2,154,929 2,219,000 1,546,000 873,000 Total Expenditures $10,972,368 $11,300,962 $10,900,421 $10,508,054 Net Change in Position $4,147,408 $4,254,605 $5,104,011 $5,958,709 Assumptions: sewer service charge revenue grows 3 percent annually (actual rates are set by the City Council; the FY2026-27 adopted budget reflects adopted rates applied to the existing customer base); operations and maintenance costs grow 3 percent; out-year capital reflects sewer-funded projects in the adopted FY2027-31 CIMMP, including the Los Altos Hills flow metering project, annual structural reach replacement, video inspection, root foaming, and the FOG program.
What the Sewer Fund Forecast Means
The Sewer Fund builds net position in every forecast year. This is deliberate: the sanitary sewer system is the City’s largest below-ground asset, and the 2013 Sanitary Sewer Master Plan Update (with an update funded in this budget) identifies a multi-decade replacement and rehabilitation need. Accumulating position now funds the structural reach replacement program and major main replacements — such as the Adobe Creek sewer main — without borrowing and without rate spikes, and positions the fund to absorb the findings of the updated master plan. Solid Waste Fund operations are smaller in scale and supported by administrative charges and a planned General Fund transfer in FY2026-27; its balance is monitored annually through the fund balance schedules.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 47
Departments Summary
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 48
Legislative
Mission
Represent the residents of Los Altos by meeting all the obligations and responsibilities of the City through legislative action.
Department Description
The City Council serves as the elected body representing the residents of Los Altos. The City Council is responsible for determining City policies and service standards. Adoption of the Financial Plan by the Council allocates the City’s financial and human resources to support its goals and objectives. City Council members are elected to four-year terms in November of even-numbered years. The Mayor rotates on an annual basis.
Program Summary & Core Services
The department provides the following key services:
Represent the residents of Los Altos.
Participate in regional boards and agencies which directly affect the City of Los Altos and the needs and interests of the residents.
Adopt City’s annual strategic priorities.
Adopt annual budget.
Hold semi-monthly Council meetings and as-needed special meetings.
Appoint Commission and Committee members.
Accomplishments for FY2025-26
Adopted a balanced operating budget and successful CIMMP budget Updated zoning code as necessary
Implemented programs and policies within Housing Element FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 49
Strategies & Goals for FY2026-27
The City Council Strategic Goals highlight those areas identified by the Council for emphasis and focus. The City Council will accomplish these goals by engaging the community and making decisions which are equitable, sustainable and fiscally prudent. The City Council will ensure that appropriate resources are allocated to maintain Los Altos as a great place to live and work, including providing a work culture and environment that supports recruitment and retention of exceptional employees to provide City services and maintenance and improvement of the City's assets.
Business Communities - The city of Los Altos will support the different business communities, including implementing specific projects and/or elements of the Housing Element and Downtown Vision Plan, and launching initiatives to bolster the business communities.
Circulation Safety & Efficiency - The city of Los Altos will continue implementing the City's policies as expressed in the Complete Streets Master Plan and other plans which support improving circulation safety and efficiencies, with an emphasis on improving Safe Routes to Schools.
Environmental Sustainability - The city of Los Altos will be a leader in environmental sustainability through education, incentives and adaptation initiatives, and practices identified in the City's Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
Housing - The city of Los Altos will implement the Housing Element, programs, and policies to facilitate, incentivize and administer the availability of housing that is safe, diverse and affordable for all income levels to meet the needs of the Community and seek to increase and protect its green space.
Neighborhood Safety Infrastructure - The city of Los Altos will conduct a public safety facilities condition assessment on the condition of the police station and the two firehouses and based on the public safety needs of the community, develop a plan to replace, repair and/or rehabilitate the City's public safety infrastructure.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 50
Program Performance Measurement
Activity Council Priority
Measurement
FY2023-24 FY2024-25
FY2025-26
Method (As of 04/22/26)
City Council Meetings General Government Meetings 45 44 39 City Council Resolutions General Government 71 112 64
Position Summary
Department Final Position Final Position Adopted Position Adopted Position Position Change Authorized Position Title FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27 FY2026-27 Mayor 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
City Council 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
City Council 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
City Council 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
City Council 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Total 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 -
Budget Summary
Expenditures FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27
Actual Actual Revised Adopted
Salaries & Benefits 50,817 82,592 124,213 131,896
Services & Supplies 533,248 748,587 894,320 1,109,700
Capital Outlay - - - -
Total 584,065 831,179 1,018,533 1,241,596
Revenue Source
General Fund - - - -
Resolutions
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 51
Executive
Mission
Direct the operations for the City of Los Altos, support the City Council on policies, ensure legal compliance with all required actions of the government, provide communications to residents, and develop programs that benefit the business community.
Department Description
The Executive Office, led by the City Manager, who is the chief administrative officer of the City, is accountable to the City Council for the performance of the organization. The Executive Office includes the Assistant City Managers, City Attorney, City Clerk, Economic Development, Sustainability, and Information Technology.
The City Attorney, appointed by the City Council, is the chief legal advisor to the City Council, City Manager, operating departments and all appointed boards and commissions. Providing a full range of legal services, the City Attorney drafts necessary legal documents, and reviews ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and other documents pertaining to the City’s business.
The City Clerk’s Division facilitates City Council functions, fulfills legal requirements as set forth in the City Code and State law, and is the historian of the City government, recording official actions and legislation of the Council, documenting meetings, and retaining legal and historical records. The City Clerk also conducts all City elections and serves as the compliance officer for campaign and financial disclosure filings as part of the Political Reform Act.
The Communications Division works with all City departments to provide proactive communications to the Los Altos community and local media regarding City projects and activities. The Division produces digital, video, and print material about the City of the Los Altos for dissemination to the public. Lastly, they engage the community to allow residents to voice their opinions and for leaders to have a better understanding of resident’s wants.
The Economic Development Division serves as a liaison between businesses, commercial districts, and city government; providing support and assistance to both existing businesses and prospective businesses looking to locate or improve their services in the City.
The Information Technology Division maintains the City's network infrastructure and applications to ensure that critical city operations are able to operate 24/7. The division supports technology initiatives within departments to enable greater efficiency through the use of technology.
The Sustainability Division leads efforts to enhance environmental stewardship and climate resilience in Los Altos. The division implements the City’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving resources, and promoting sustainable practices. It also facilitates community outreach and education initiatives and supports the work of the Environmental Commission.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 52
Program Summary & Core Services
The department provides the following key services:
Direct and manage City services.
Provide all legal functions within the agency.
Support City Council functions.
Support economic vibrancy within the City.
Ensure that City technology operations are optimal.
Meet sustainability goals and legislative requirements within the City.
Accomplishments for FY2025-26
Transitioned Youth Commission into a Youth Commission Council Academy.
Implemented city’s new agenda management software.
Launched the City’s new website and first‑ever website chatbot in public beta, transforming the digital service experience with faster search, streamlined navigation, and strengthened ADA compliance.
Strengthened the City’s social media performance across City Hall, Police, and Parks accounts.
Completed construction on the Woodland Library Outdoor Terrace space.
Started the design process for the Main Library Interior Improvements.
Installed 45 solar lights throughout Downtown Los Altos.
Started a new entry point in Admin Building with fiber internet connectivity and connected to Mountain View and Palo Alto PD with dedicated high-speed fiber.
Upgrade equipment and systems at various City facilities.
Launched Residential Heat Pump Rebate Program in March 2026, providing financial incentives for gas-toelectric appliance transitions.
Launched the Residential Electrification Speaker Series, hosting a hands-on induction cooking workshop and technical webinars to educate the community on the benefits of going electric.
Strategies & Goals for FY2026-27
Conduct November 3, 2026 election.
Recruit for commission vacancies in Fall 2026.
Advance digital ADA compliance to meet ADA Title II digital accessibility requirements (WCAG 2.1 Level AA) through continuous improvements to website structure and user experience.
Enhance the City’s website chatbot by expanding knowledge base accuracy and bridging information needs based on public beta feedback.
Strengthen resident digital engagement and amplify social media performance through targeted content development, improved analytics, and expanded outreach.
Broaden community engagement and design work for the Downtown Park with Parking.
Draft construction documents for the Main Library Interior Improvements.
Introduce more AI-powered solutions to enhance employee’s productivity and efficiency to serve the public.
Modernize Information Technology Service Management system to better deliver technology solutions to City’s staff.
Conduct an in-depth analysis of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) to track implementation progress and identify key priorities for future initiatives.
Manage the Urban Forest Project deliverables, overseeing the completion of the city-wide tree inventory and land cover assessment.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 53
Program Performance Measurement
Activity Council Priority FY2023-24 FY2024-25
FY2025-26
Method (As of 04/22/26)
Public Records Requests General Government Requests 404 474 577 Social Media Views* General Government Views - - 1,039,000 Social Media General Government - - 23,500
New social media followers* General Government Followers - - 3,219 Annual downtown employee
parking permits
Business Communities Permits 638 672 658
Quarterly downtown employee Business Communities Permits 72 50 77 IT Services Requests General Government Emails 2,003 1,893 1,500 * denotes new performance measurement
Position Summary
Department Final Position Final Position Adopted Position Adopted Position Position Change Authorized Position Title FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27 FY2026-27 City Manager 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Assistant City Manager 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Assistant City Manager for Land
Development
- 1.00 1.00 - -1.00
City Clerk 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Assistant to the City Manager 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Public Information Officer 1.00 1.00 - -
Communications and
Community Engagement
Supervisor
- - 1.00 1.00
Assistant City Clerk 1.00 1.00 - -
Deputy City Clerk - - 1.00 1.00
Confidential Executive Assistant 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Public Information Coordinator 1.00 - 1.00 1.00
Information Technology
Manager
1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Senior Network Systems
Administrator
- 1.00 1.00 1.00
Network Systems Administrator 1.00 - - -
Information Technology Analyst
I/II
1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00
Information Technology
Technician
1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Emergency Response
Coordinator
- 1.00 - -
Senior Management Analyst - - 1.00 1.00
Total 12.00 14.00 15.00 14.00 -1.00
Interactions* Interactions
parking
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 54
Budget Summary
Expenditures
FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27
Actual Actual Revised Adopted
Salaries & Benefits 2,728,749 2,771,043
Services & Supplies 1,967,751 1,855,455 1,776,220 1,928,698 Capital Outlay 206,448 146,007 - -
Total 4,730,211 4,547,263
Revenue Source
General Fund - 493,557 - -
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos
3,074,567 3,397,008
5,248,766 5,325,706
Finance Department
Mission
To uphold the fiscal integrity of the City of Los Altos through exceptional service, rigorous accountability, and transparent financial reporting that sustains public trust and promotes operational excellence.
Department Description
The Finance Department provides strategic management and safeguarding of the City’s financial assets. Core responsibilities include the development and oversight of the operating and capital improvement budgets, comprehensive financial reporting, and the coordination of annual audits to ensure regulatory compliance. The department also manages the City’s investment portfolio, cash flow, and debt administration. Daily operations encompass essential services — accounts payable/receivable, procurement, revenue collection, and payroll — all dedicated to enhancing efficiency and effectiveness for City staff and the community.
Program Summary & Core Services
The department provides the following key services:
Long-range Financial Planning and Budgeting
Accounting and Annual Financial Reporting
Internal Controls and Risk Management
Disbursement of City funds and Procurement Oversight
Revenue Collection, Cash Management, Banking, and Investment Oversight Debt Service Administration
Payroll and Tax Administration
Accomplishments for FY2025-26
Completed Tyler ERP software conversion project went live on July 1, 2025 Deployed ClearGov budgeting software to enhance transparency and improve internal controls in the budget process.
Produced a ‘Budget in Brief’ for a clear and accessible overview of the city budget and resource allocation to the community.
Partnered with a new investment firm to increase returns on City investment and monitor its performance regularly.
Optimized cash management by establishing a sweep account to maximize interest yield and minimize idle cash.
Strengthened departmental operations and employee retention by offering targeted staff training and career development opportunities.
Published the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 in a timely manner.
Achieved an unmodified audit opinion, demonstrating full compliance with financial regulations and established industry standards.
Earned Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for FY2024-25.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 56
Strategies & Goals for FY2026-27
Leverage AI-driven technology to deploy real-time financial dashboards, fostering greater public accessibility and transparency.
Modernize the Bank Reconciliation process by implementing automated tools to improve efficiency and ensure data integrity.
Consolidate multiple revenue processing platform into a unified system to streamline workflows and improve financial reporting.
Conduct a comprehensive audit or accounts payable vendors to ensure all W-9 and insurance certifications are current and compliant.
Review and update internal financial policies and procedures to better reflect City operations and evolving needs.
Enhance internal controls to further reduce the risk of fraud and ensure continued compliance with financial regulations.
Promote inter-departmental collaboration to ensure financial strategies align with organizational goals.
Expand cross-training opportunities within the Finance Department to improve operational flexibility and staff professional development
Invest in continued professional development to ensure staff remain current with best practices in public finance.
Implement changes required under GASB Statement No. 103 (Financial Reporting Model Improvements) and No. 102 (Statutory Stale-Interest).
Program Performance Measurement
Activity Council Priority
Measurement
FY2023-24 FY2024-25
FY2025-26
Method (As of 12/31/25)
a. Purchase Order Issued General Government Requests 293 326 158 b. Invoice Processed General Government Invoices 4,667 4,723 2,547 c. Billing Issued General Government Billings 34 40 36
d. Cash Receipts Processed General Government Receipts 1,375 1,351 692 e. Journal Entries General Government Entries 367 315 403 Position Summary
Department Final Position Final Position Adopted Position Adopted Position Position Change Authorized Position Title FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27 FY2026-27 Finance Director 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Finance Manager 1.00 1.00 2.00 1.00 -1.00
Senior Accountant 3.00 3.00 - 1.00 1.00
Accountant - - 2.00 2.00 -
Accounting Tech I/II 2.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 -
Accounting Clerk 1.00 - - - -
Total 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 -
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 57
Budget Summary
Expenditures
FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27
Actual Actual Revised Adopted
Salaries & Benefits 1,451,641 1,255,451 1,584,362 1,520,024 Services & Supplies 680,009 897,014 1,020,837
Capital Outlay - 8,238 84,000 -
Total 1,943,698 2,565,376 2,540,861
Revenue Source
General Fund 51,163,682 53,539,334 55,640,731 58,007,081 FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 58
940,422
2,392,063
Human Resources
Mission
The Human Resources Department’s mission is to provide leadership and operational support to the City’s most valuable resource—its employees. Human Resources partners with departments to attract, develop, support, and retain a diverse and talented workforce that advances the City Council’s goals and priorities and enhances organizational effectiveness. Through effective policies, programs, and services, the department fosters a workplace that values equity, respect, and inclusion while promoting employee safety, well-being, and engagement.
Department Description
The Human Resources Department provides a full range of services to support the City’s workforce and organizational needs. The Department partners with City departments to attract, develop, and retain a diverse, highly qualified workforce while promoting employee well-being, engagement, and a positive employee experience in delivering highquality services to the community.
The Department administers key programs and services including recruitment and retention, classification and compensation, payroll administration, workers’ compensation and employee safety, labor and employee relations, benefits and leave administration, employee development and training, and employment policies and procedures. The Department also serves as a strategic partner to leadership, providing guidance on workforce planning, organizational development, and employee relations, and maintains positive working relationships with employees, labor groups, retirees, and the community.
In addition, the Department ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and administers programs in accordance with Memoranda of Understanding, Personnel Rules and Regulations, and Administrative Policies.
Program Summary & Core Services
The department provides the following key services:
Recruitment, Selection, and Retention
Classification and Compensation
Payroll Administration
Workers’ Compensation
Benefits and Leave Administration
Employee & Labor Relations
Employment Policies and Procedures
Organizational Training and Talent Development
Engagement and Recognition
Compliance and Policy Procedures
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 59
Accomplishments for FY2025-26
Negotiated successor Memoranda of Understanding with Teamsters and LAMEA through June 30, 2031.
Updated the City’s Personnel Regulations to ensure compliance with evolving employment laws and regulatory requirements.
Implemented Paid Family Leave and Catastrophic Leave programs to enhance employee benefits and support work-life balance.
Expanded the Employee Tuition Reimbursement Program to provide greater reimbursement for advanced degrees and professional certification costs.
Conducted a comprehensive citywide compensation and market analysis to support recruitment and retention efforts.
Continued expansion of employee training and development initiatives, including leadership, compliance, and workplace skills training.
Launched the COLA Kudos employee recognition program to promote engagement and workplace culture.
Improved employee onboarding processes through enhanced orientation and cross-departmental engagement efforts.
Enhanced payroll administration processes, including improved compliance with federal overtime requirements and system capabilities.
Maintained a payroll accuracy rate of approximately 94% across 26 biweekly payroll cycles, ensuring timely processing of personnel transactions.
Supported recruitment and onboarding efforts, filling approximately 64 positions citywide during the fiscal year.
Administered Open Enrollment and ongoing benefits programs to support employee access to healthcare and voluntary benefits.
Continued oversight and administration of the in-house crossing guard program, including recruitment and staffing support.
Strengthened workers’ compensation program oversight and coordination with third-party administrators.
Ensured compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, regulations, and City policies.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 60
Strategies & Goals for FY2026-27
Provide targeted training programs on supervisory and leadership development, emotional intelligence, customer service, and essential office technology skills (e.g., Microsoft Word and Excel).
Implement NEOGOV Perform and Learn to enhance efficiency in performance management administration, increase employee access to standardized training resources, and enable department‑wide tracking of performance evaluations and training completion.
Continue and expand the COLA Kudos recognition program and host recurring events to promote employee engagement, connection, and well-being.
Implement updated performance evaluation timelines, forms, and processes to improve consistency, accountability, and alignment with organizational goals.
Enhance new employee onboarding through structured orientation programs, including citywide tours and cross-departmental overview.
Expand the Employee Wellness Program to a year-round program. The initiatives will include participation challenges and onsite activities to support employee health and well-being.
Implement negotiated Teamsters and LAMEA contract provisions; negotiate the POA contract re-opener, and support representation structure changes.
Perform peer city and market compensation studies and support discussions related to market adjustments.
Enhance payroll processes, including compliance with federal requirements such as qualified overtime tracking, and evaluate system capabilities.
Maintain compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, regulations, and City policies.
Consolidate workers’ compensation administration to a single third-party administrator (TPA) and implement recommendations from risk management assessments.
Continue assessment and refinement of the in-house crossing guard program to ensure efficiency and service effectiveness.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 61
Program Performance Measurement
Activity
Measurement
FY2023-24 FY2024-25
FY2025-26
Method Projected
Recruitment and Staffing
a. Recruitment Cycle Time (Job Posting Date -
Conditional Offer Date)
Days 76 55 76
b. Vacancy Rate as of 6/30 Percentage 11% 7.30% 9.30%
c. Position Filled Count 64 56 64
Workforce Stability
d. 12-Month New Hire Retention as of 6/30 Percentage 48% 72% 83% e. Full-Time Employee Turnover Rate Percentage 22% 13% 13% f. Full-Time Internal Promotion Rate Percentage 19% 31% 30% HR Operations
g. Payroll Accuracy Rate Percentage 94%% 89% 94%
h. Open Enrollment Participation Rate Percentage Not tracked Not tracked 80% Risk & Fiscal
i. Workers Comp Claims Count 13 15 18
j. Workers Comp Claim Rate (per 100 employees) Rate 7.3 8.1 9.7 Position Summary
Department Final Position Final Position Adopted Position Adopted Position Position Change Authorized Position Title FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27 FY2026-27 Human Resources Director 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Human Resources Manager 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Human Resources Administrator
- - 1.00 1.00 -
Human Resources Analyst I/II 2.00 2.00 2.00 1.00 -1.00
Human Resources Technician 2.00 2.00 2.00 3.00 1.00
Total 6.00 6.00 7.00 7.00 -
Budget Summary
Expenditures
FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27
Actual Actual Revised Adopted
Salaries & Benefits 1,239,600 1,235,552 1,607,441 1,525,521 Services & Supplies 587,693 528,889 458,950 649,965
Capital Outlay - - - -
Total 1,827,293 1,764,441 2,066,391 2,175,486
Revenue Source
General Fund - - - -
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 62
Development Services
Mission
The Development Services Department works to promote the orderly development of the community while preserving and enhancing the City's appearance and its distinct character. The Department also ensures that all projects within the City, both public and private, are constructed and maintained in a safe and legal manner.
Department Description
The Development Services Department serves as the City of Los Altos’ centralized resource for private development, offering a one-stop-shop for planning, permitting, inspection, and regulatory services. The department is composed of five specialized divisions: Building & Safety, Business Licensing, Code Enforcement, Housing, and Planning & Zoning.
Together, these divisions work collaboratively to guide growth, ensure public safety, advance housing and environmental goals, and uphold the community's quality of life.
Building & Safety Division
The Building & Safety Division is responsible for architectural and structural plan reviews, building inspections, and interpretation and enforcement of the California Building Code, including Cityspecific amendments. The division provides customer service and technical assistance to ensure that construction projects meet safety, accessibility, and energy efficiency standards.
Business Licensing Division
The Business Licensing Division manages the issuance and renewal of business licenses for all commercial activities within Los Altos. The division works closely with the Planning & Zoning Division to ensure zoning compliance for all business locations. All individuals and entities conducting business in the city are required to obtain and maintain a valid business license.
Code Enforcement Division
The Code Enforcement Division ensures compliance with City codes and ordinances related to private property maintenance, land use, and public health and safety. Working in coordination with other divisions, Code Enforcement investigates complaints, identifies violations, and facilitates corrective action to support a safe, clean, and vibrant community.
Housing Division
Established in FY2023/2024 following the adoption of the City's 6th Cycle Housing Element, the Housing Division focuses on the advancement of affordable housing initiatives. It administers the Below Market Rate (BMR) housing program and works to increase the supply of housing that meets the needs of all income levels.
Planning & Zoning Division
The Planning & Zoning Division guides the long-term physical development of Los Altos through the implementation of the General Plan and related land use policies. Responsibilities include reviewing development applications, conducting environmental analysis, providing public counter services, and managing historic preservation, tree protection, sign regulation, and floodplain management programs. The division supports the Planning Commission, Historical Commission, Zoning Administrator, and City Council in land use decision-making.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 63
Program Summary & Core Services
The department provides the following key services:
Review of all development applications received by the department.
Enforce the city’s adopted land use documents.
Provide support to the community for future planning of land uses.
Enforce compliance with municipal code of private properties.
Review and enforce business license regulations.
Facilitate the creation of affordable housing with the city.
Accomplishments for FY2025-26
Initiated the Comprehensive General Plan Update.
Adopted the California Building Code (CBC 2025).
Received State’s Prohousing Designation.
Facilitated the construction of a 90-unit 100% affordable multifamily housing project.
Expanded service delivery through cross-division process improvements and customer-facing guidance materials.
Maintained public planning counter services seven days a week, including all-day availability and virtual access via Zoom.
Provided staff support to the planning Commission, Historic Commission, Zoning Administrator, and CIty Council to facilitate timely project review and land use decision-making.
Strategies & Goals for FY2026-27
Omnibus Zoning Code Cleanup.
Advance the General Plan Update for completion in FY2027-28.
Update Objective Design Control Standards.
Implement Housing Element programs and support RHNA progress.
Expand housing services and partnerships by strengthening coordination with county and nonprofit partners on tenant resources and homelessness response.
Program Performance Measurement
Activity
Measurement
FY2023-24 FY2024-25
FY2025-26
Method Projected
Code Compliance Cases Cases Completed 1,130 535 375
Building Permits # of Permits Issued 2,060 1,701 1,603
Inspections Conducted # of Inspections 11,911 10,329 7,189 ADU Permits # of Permits Issued New New 63
Planning Permits # of Permits Completed 171 188 161
Housing Element Implementation Adoption of
Implementing Programs
23 41 44
Progress Towards RHNA-6TH Cycle (All Income
Categories)
# of New Housing Units
Constructed
119 245 247
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 64
Position Summary
Department Final Position Final Position Adopted Position Adopted Position Position Change Authorized Position Title FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27 FY2026-27 Development Services Director 1.00 - - 1.00 1.00
Deputy Director - 1.00 1.00 - -1.00
City Engineer - 1.00 1.00 - -1.00
Development Services Manager 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Building Official 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Senior Building Inspector 1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Building Inspector 2.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Development Services Technicia 4.00 3.00 3.00 2.00 -1.00 Planning Manager 1.00 - - 1.00 1.00
Senior Planner 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Associate Planner 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Assistant Planner - 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Office Assistant I/II - - - 1.00 1.00
Management Analyst I/II 1.00 2.00 2.00 1.00 -1.00
Code Enforcement Officer 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Senior Engineer - 1.00 1.00 - -1.00
Assistant Engineer - 1.00 2.00 - -2.00
Construction Inspector - 1.00 1.00 - -1.00
Junior Engineer - 1.00 - - -
Total 17.00 22.00 22.00 17.00 -5.00
Budget Summary
Expenditures
FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27
Actual Actual Revised Adopted
Salaries & Benefits 3,492,301 3,522,434
Services & Supplies 1,321,978 2,147,159 2,875,650 2,778,550 Capital Outlay 191,953 - - -
Total 6,367,951 6,300,984
Revenue Source
General Fund 6,294,099 10,905,758 7,821,000 9,130,700
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 65
3,084,705 3,329,479
4,598,636 5,476,638
Public Works Engineering
Mission
The mission of the City of Los Altos Public Works Engineering Department is to enhance the quality of life for current and future generations by planning, constructing, and maintaining dependable, cost-effective, and sustainable infrastructure. We support a resilient, thriving community by promoting orderly development, ensuring all public and private projects are constructed safely and legally, and developing a secure transportation environment for all pedestrians and vehicles.
Department Description
The Public Works Engineering Department is responsible for the planning, engineering, construction, and ongoing maintenance of the City’s infrastructure systems. This includes sewer and stormwater management, environmental compliance, street and sidewalk maintenance, and transportation infrastructure. The department delivers a range of capital improvement projects that support City Council priorities and enhance community livability.
The department consists of three primary divisions:
1. Land Development Services
The Land Development Services Division primarily focuses on the technical review and engineering compliance of private development. By ensuring that site improvement plans meet City standards, this section facilitates orderly growth and safe construction practices. Key functions include:
a. Plan Check: Performing comprehensive reviews of private development plans for engineering accuracy and compliance.
b. Permitting: Issuing excavation permits, encroachment permits, and other engineering permits for work within the public right-of-way.
c. Construction Oversight: Inspecting construction projects to ensure all public infrastructure standards are met during the development process.
2. Environmental Services
The Environmental Service Division manages the City’s critical utility infrastructure with heavy emphasis on sewer enterprise operations and regulatory mandates. It ensures the City remains in compliance with state and federal requirements while maintaining essential public health services. Key functions include:
a. Sewer and Stormwater Operations: Managing the ongoing capital improvement projects for the City’s sanitary sewer and stormwater systems.
b. Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring adherence to the Municipal Regional Permit (MRP 3.0) and Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs).
c. Solid & Recycling: Managing the City’s solid waste programs, including franchise oversight, performance audits, and strict compliance with State mandates. d. Program & Outreach: Coordinating household hazardous waste programs, coordinating the compost giveaway program, managing hauler performance, and leading public recycling education.
3. Transportation Services
Transportation Services is focused on planning and delivering transportation infrastructure that is safe, efficient, and accessible for all users. The section supports the City’s multimodal goals and ensures connectivity through regional partnerships. Key functions include:
a. Safety Initiatives: Managing the Safe Routes to Schools program and implementing traffic calming measures to protect pedestrians and cyclists.
b. Multimodal Planning: Developing and maintaining transportation networks that serve vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic.
c. Project Management: Delivering transportation-related capital projects and coordinating with regional agencies to ensure seamless infrastructure connectivity across jurisdictions.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 66
Waste
Program Summary & Core Services
The department provides the following key services:
Review of all development applications received by the department Regulatory compliance and engineering support for sewer and stormwater programs Planning and implementation of capital improvement projects (CIPs) Street resurfacing and striping
Multi-modal transportation planning, safety, and infrastructure upgrades Solid waste and recycling franchise contract management Accomplishments for FY2025-26
Completed the Structural Reach Sewer Main Replacements Project Successfully delivered the Annual Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) Program Completed Active Construction Site Inspections for FY25/26 Continued the City’s popular self-serve, 7-day-a-week compost distribution program Conducted SB 1383 compliance outreach to food-related businesses and solid waste route reviews Coordinated with county for Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection event held in the city Completed inspections of Private Land Drainage Area (PLDA) and installed stormwater treatment systems Complete the Intersection Access Barrier Removal project along the Hetch Hetchy Pathway Adopted the Bicycle and Electric Mobility Devices Ordinance to regulate emerging transportation modes Completed the Annual Street Resurfacing Project
Completed the Cristo Rey Drive Guardrail Repair Project Replaced non-operational crosswalk signals with new solar-powered Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs)
Upgraded Safe Routes to Schools signage by replacing damaged radar speed signs, removing and replacing bicycle lanes that are sub-standards, filled bicycle gaps as well as placed delineators to provide greater protection for those who utilize the bicycle lane.
Strategies & Goals for FY2026-27
Implement 3 to 5 additional Safe Routes to Schools traffic safety projects Initiate design for the San Antonio Road Complete Streets Project Initiate design for the Green Infrastructure project
Rehabilitate Fremont Avenue Pedestrian Bridge to address structural and safety issues Collaborating with Santa Clara County on the Foothill Expressway Active Transportation Plan FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 67
Program Performance Measurement
Activity
Measurement
FY2023-24 FY2024-25
FY2025-26
Method Projected
Engineering Permits # of Permits 1,440 1,196 1,090
Inspections Concluded # of Inspections 1,497 1,716 1,375 Pavement Condition Index Detailed Visual Inspection 74 N/A N/A Stormwater Active Construction Site
Inspection
# of Inspections 124 150 117
Development Review # of Review 140 380 227
FOG Inspections # of Inspections 211 158 188
SB1383 Compliance Outreach # of Outreaches 79 47 57
Position Summary
Department Final Position Final Position Adopted Position Adopted Position Position Change Authorized Position Title FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27 FY2026-27 Public Works Engineering
Director 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Capital Improvements Project
Manager 1.00 1.00 - - -
Public Works Manager 1.00 - 1.00 1.00 -
Transportation Services
Manager 1.00 - - - -
Special Projects Manager 1.00 - - - -
Engineering Manager - - 1.00 1.00
Senior Engineer - 2.00 1.00 2.00 1.00
Associate Civil Engineer 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Assistant Engineer 1.00 1.00 1.00 5.00 4.00
Construction Inspector 1.00 - 2.00 2.00 -
Junior Engineer 1.00 1.00 - - -
Executive Assistant - - - - -
Maintenance Supervisor 1.00 2.00 2.00 - -2.00
Maintenance Lead Worker 1.00 1.00 1.00 - -1.00
Maintenance Technician 1.00 1.00 1.00 - -1.00
Maintenance Worker I/II 3.00 2.00 3.00 - -3.00
Management Analyst I/II - 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Senior Wastewater
Maintenance Worker - 1.00 1.00 - -1.00
Wastewater Maintenance
Worker I/II - 5.00 4.00 - -4.00
Maintenance Superintendent - 0.50 0.50 - -0.50
Total 15.00 20.50 21.50 14.00 -7.50
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 68
Budget Summary
Expenditures
FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27
Actual Actual Revised Adopted
Salaries & Benefits 1,439,726 1,951,947 2,012,774
Services & Supplies 822,982 721,032 726,029 1,303,370
Capital Outlay - - - -
Total 2,160,758 2,677,976 3,316,144
Revenue Source
General Fund 2,562 849,199 861,236 2,400,600
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 69
1,544,084
2,367,066
Public Safety
Mission
The Los Altos Police Department is dedicated to service, justice and the protection of all.
Department Description
The Police Department is a vibrant, progressive, and professional organization dedicated to fostering and maintaining community partnerships. These partnerships promote an enhanced quality of life for our community and ensure that the City of Los Altos remains a great place to live and raise a family. The Los Altos Police Department continues to deliver high quality public safety services and as such, we are committed to our community’s public safety priorities – Child and School Safety, Traffic Safety, Safe and Secure Neighborhoods and Safe Shopping Districts.
The core services provided by the Department include response to emergency and non-emergency calls for service, proactive identification of criminal activity, traffic safety, parking enforcement, investigation of crime and prosecution of criminals, 911 call taking and emergency dispatch services, training of personnel, crime prevention and community outreach, maintenance of records and property and evidence control.
Program Summary & Core Services
The department provides the following key services:
Manage response to emergency and non-emergency calls for service Proactive identification of criminal activity
Maintain traffic safety
Enforce parking regulations
Investigation of crime and prosecution of criminals
Answer 911 call taking and dispatch emergency services
Maintain records, property, and evidence control
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 70
Accomplishments for FY2025-26
Launched a Drone as a First Responder (DFR) Program to enhance public safety, improve emergency response and support investigations
Hosted a National Night Out event at the Los Altos Community Center to engage with the community Focused on school zone safety and traffic enforcement in high complaint areas by staffing the Traffic Unit Put together a Year In Review document for 2025 that was disseminated to the community Implemented Flock911 in Dispatch to assist officers in getting live information to shorten response times and provide more situational awareness
Expanded the Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Program to enhance community safety and assist officers and detectives in identifying and apprehending criminals Implemented Eventide Critical Insights AI to enhance training, automate QA, streamline workflows and enhance analytics for public safety communications
Launched a new software solution for internal affairs and tracking of high liability incidents Successfully implemented the Crossing Guard Program to ensure students’ safety Launched the Special Needs Awareness Program (SNAP), which is designed to provide First Responders with important information when responding to calls that involve individuals who may have a memory disorder, hearing impairment, autism or other behavioral disability/ condition Reconvened the joint Mountain View/Los Altos Police Department SWAT Team Added a second Parking Community Service Officer (CSO) position to assist with parking enforcement Digitized all prior police reports
Increased transparency to the community by creating a robust website with crime data, trends and other information of interest to the community
Conducted a Property & Evidence audit to ensure our policies and procedures are in line with best practices Strategies & Goals for FY2026-27
Achieve full staffing of sworn and professional personnel Sponsor and assist in bicycle safety rodeos at schools in the Los Altos School District and at community events Fully implement RIMS CAD Dispatch system
Leverage technology to assist officers and detectives in investigating crimes Implement annual Wellness Checks for all staff to promote mental health Enhance training throughout the department and incorporate the use of Virtual Reality (VR) to make training more life-like
Dedicate a Detective to investigating crimes committed against children Continue to enhance our Drone Program to fully utilize its capabilities to enhance public safety Implement the Blue Envelope Program to help drivers with autism or other communication differences alert law enforcement during a traffic stop, enabling clearer communication and a safer, more understanding interaction for everyone involved
Contribute to the Santa Clara County Special Enforcement Team by assigning a Detective to the task force to conduct county-wide investigations into illegal activity Educate the community on common scams and ways to protect themselves Continue to transition our administrative vehicle fleet to electric vehicles as charging infrastructure allows Focus on decreasing response times to priority calls for service FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 71
Program Performance Measurement
Activity
Measurement
FY2023-24 FY2024-25
FY2025-26
Method (As of 12/31/25)
Performance Measure:
"Active Assailant" Training to
school staff and Coomunity
Groups
Number of Presentations 15 8 4
School Facility Safety/Security
Services
Patrol Checks at School
Location
66 71 55
Community Building/Increase
Transparency
Number of Community
Engagement Events
Participated in &
Meetings seeking
feedback
45 51 32
Workload:
Total Calls for Services CAD / RMS 16,714 17,233 10,111 Total Arrests CAD / RMS 199 223 112
Traffic Citations CAD / RMS 1,227 1,180 808
Parking Citations CAD / RMS 1,261 1,627 1,096
Calls for Service Response Time CAD / RMS 8min 47sec 7min 48sec 7min 58sec 911 Call Answer Times (within
10sec)
CAD / RMS 95.78% 96.49% 96.74%
Position Summary
Department Final Position Final Position Adopted Position Adopted Position Position Change Authorized Position Title FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27 FY2026-27 Police Chief 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Police Captain 2.00 2.00 1.00 1.00 -
Police Lieutenant - - 2.00 2.00 -
Police Sergeant 7.00 7.00 6.00 6.00 -
Police Officer 16.00 16.00 17.00 18.00 1.00
Police Corporal 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00
Police Services Manager - - - - -
Police Records Supervisor 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Records Specialist 3.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Community Service Officer 2.00 2.00 4.00 4.00
Police Dispatch Supervisor - 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Lead Police Dispatcher 1.00 - 1.00 1.00 -
Police Dispatcher 6.00 6.00 7.00 7.00 -
Executive Assistant 1.00 1.00 1.00 - -1.00
Emergency Response Coordinator 1.00 - - - -
Crime Analyst - 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Management Analyst I/II - - - 1.00 1.00
Total 47.00 46.00 51.00 52.00 1.00
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 72
Budget Summary
Expenditures
FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27
Actual Actual Revised Adopted
Salaries & Benefits 13,620,960 15,301,293
Services & Supplies 10,771,572 10,705,387 11,714,920 11,801,560 Capital Outlay - - - -
Total 24,326,347 27,016,213
Revenue Source
General Fund 478,072 328,158 266,000 319,870
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 73
11,234,738 17,746,128
22,006,310 29,547,688
Community Services
Mission
The Community Services department strives to enrich the Los Altos community through active participation in lifelong learning, health and wellness, community involvement, and recreation activities and events. The department also serves the community with capital project management and by providing preventative and on-call maintenance to the city’s existing parks, trees, outdoor and indoor facilities, fleet, equipment, streets, and wastewater/storm drain collection systems.
Department Description
The Community Services department offers a wide variety of services, facilities, and recreational opportunities for the Los Altos community. This includes: management of capital improvement projects within the CIMMP (Capital Improvement & Major Maintenance Program); tree maintenance; park maintenance - 52.5 acres of City parks, 42 acres of street and boulevard median/shoulder landscaping, 22 pathways and short cuts to school, 32 easement lots, 78 downtown trees, 34 downtown flower pots, and 87 backflow preventers; facility maintenance - primary lighting, electrical, HVAC, and plumbing for 168,000 square feet of facilities; automotive and equipment maintenance - 40 vehicles, 65 pieces of other equipment, and 26 patrol cars/other vehicles; street maintenance – 104 miles of city streets; sewer maintenance – 138 miles of sewage collection system; and recreational classes, programs, and activities for all ages, interests and abilities (pre-k, youth, teen, adults and adult 50+) which include but is not limited to—park and facility rentals, youth programs, a teen program, an active adult 50+ program, volunteer opportunities, contract classes and camps, and an array of free community events (Open House, Spring Egg Hunt, Family Fun Days, Summer Concert Series, Glorious 4th, Los Altos vs. Los Altos Hills Softball Game, Movie Night). The department also coordinates 2 City Commissions: Parks, Arts, Recreation & Cultural, and Senior.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 74
Program Summary & Core Services
In 2025/26, use of the Los Altos Community Center continued to increase through offered classes and facility rentals.
As a result, the 2025/26 budget reflects expanded levels for supplies, facility requirements and needs to support increased community participation in classes, programs and events—particularly in Adult 50+, in response to community feedback and recommended areas of growth in the age friendly action plan. The Community Services budget for 2026/27 reflects a balanced approach to department expenditures—which maintains quality maintenance services and standards, while also employing a successful blend of internal and contracted classes, programs and services. The department continues to perform in an efficient and professional manner with a strong concentration in providing the Los Altos community with exceptional customer service. The Community Services department endeavors to anticipate, adapt, and keep pace with the continually changing trends, community needs, and Council priorities.
The Community Services department will also focus on a variety of Capital Improvement and Major Maintenance Program (CIMMP) projects to enhance and improve the facilities and amenities available to the Los Altos community.
This includes but is not limited to: replacement of the roof at the Los Altos History Museum; activation of the Café space at the Los Altos Community Center; interior renovations to the San Antonio Club; replacement of the gazebo at Lincoln Park; court renovations and resurfacing at Grant, Montclaire, and Rosita, and installation of pickleball courts at McKenzie.
Through resourcefulness and adaptability, the Community Services department will continue to build and enhance our programs and services. In addition, the department will maintain equitable access of the modern, state-of-the-art, sustainable Los Altos Community Center by creating community through people, parks and programs.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 75
Accomplishments for FY2025-26
General
Increased registration through the continued mailing of the Activity Guide for Spring/Summer 2025 to all Los Altos residents.
Increased facility rental revenue by 8.5%.
Increased social media engagement on Facebook and Instagram by 100% through hiring a part-time Recreation Specialist for marketing and special events.
Collaborated with the Parks, Arts, Recreation, & Cultural Commission to execute the Los Altos Community Center gallery.
Increased participation in the Adult 50+ lunch program from 120 to 300+ participants per month.
Increased participation in the Redwood Grove Summer Camp from 401 to 628.
Increased participation in the Teen Center from 435 to 534.
Increased volunteer participation from 32 in 2024 to 50 in 2025.
Continued to offer a variety of successful community events which include: 6 Family Fun Days, Family Fun Night, Open House, Spring Egg Hunt, 7 Summer Concerts, Glorious 4th, Los Altos vs. Los Altos Hills Softball Game, and Movie Night.
Collaborated with local cultural organizations to host a variety of cultural events such as: Diwali, Lunar New Year, Iftar, and Juneteenth.
Collaborated with the Senior Commission on community events that benefited the adult 50+ community—the Live Well Age Well Health Expo and the Halloween Fling.
Started the inaugural Childcare Subsidy Program.
Engaged a contracted provider to offer preschool-age enrichment programs at the Los Altos Community Center.
Neighborhood Safety Infrastructure
Took over management and maintenance of the Neutra House.
Completed EOC conversion at the Los Altos Community Center.
Upgraded the electrical at the Grant Park Community Center, and installed HVAC and hot water.
Replaced the HVAC at the Bus Barn Theater.
Installed pickleball lines at Egan Gym.
Completed interior renovations of the Administration Building A at City Hall to improve employee work spaces and enhance the community’s service experience.
Installed an updated outdoor fitness area at Hillview Park.
Installed 3 smart manhole covers for SSMP compliance to integrate technology into the sewer system.
Retrofitted sewer combination truck with root foaming equipment to increase root treatment of the sewer system.
Utilized the on-call spot repair contract to complete 5 mainline repairs and 10 lower lateral replacements.
Replaced the split rail fencing at Grant Park.
Installed an improved fence at the Police Department.
Expanded the McKenzie Dog Park to create a larger play area.
Converted 45 high-pressure sodium streetlights to solar-powered fixtures.
Installed 50 decorative banners on streetlight poles.
Circulation Safety & Efficiency
Supported 32 community special events (examples include the Art & Wine Festival, Festival of Lights, Farmers Market, Pet Parade, etc.) by providing street barriers, cones, barricades, traffic signage, and staffing.
Installed 100 high-visibility reflective panels on stop signs and pedestrian crossing sign poles.
Replaced 40 faded signs with highly reflective, high-intensity prismatic or Diamond Grade signage.
Inspected/repaired 325 streetlights at Loyola Corners, El Camino Real, and downtown.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 76
Performed stamp-patch repairs on 39,724 square feet of asphalt and removed/replaced 2,207 square feet of failed roadway.
Environmental Sustainability
Collaborated with Greentown to add or replace trees within Los Altos.
Collaborated with Grassroots Ecology at the Redwood Grove Camp to educate campers about local plants and promote environmental sustainability.
Strategies & Goals for FY2026-27
General
Continue to expand the variety and number of classes and camps offered to increase community engagement and participation.
Enhance marketing to increase participation in teen services.
Continue to expand Adult 50+ services based upon the age friendly action plan.
Continue landscape improvements throughout the city.
Neighborhood Safety Infrastructure
Implement preventative maintenance schedules to improve asset management, in addition to city facilities and infrastructure.
Activate the Café space in the Los Altos Community Center.
Transition the San Antonio Club to a reservable facility.
Upgrade AV at Los Altos Community Center.
Perform preventative maintenance and system repairs of the wastewater collection system to minimize backups, overflows, and financial risk.
Maintain 24/7 emergency response coverage to ensure system reliability Find ways to further improve downtown beautification through landscape and hardscape upgrades.
Upgrade the Hillview Baseball Field to improve user experience.
Improve pedestrian pathway in Redwood Grove, near the archery range, to improve accessibility.
Replace the gazebo at Lincoln Park to enhance user experience.
Upgrade pathways at Grant Park to improve accessibility.
Renovate/resurface courts at Grant, Montclair, and Rosita Parks.
Circulation Safety & Efficiency
Implement the city-wide sidewalk maintenance plan to improve accessibility, safety, and walkability.
Environmental Sustainability
Continue to improve infrastructure at the Municipal Service Center (MSC) to Convert the gymnasium lighting systems to energy efficient LEDs.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 77
Program Performance Measurement
FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26
Recreation
Class/Program Enrollments 2,914 5,267 8,080
Facility Rentals 1,278 1,807 1,846
Field/ Gymnasium Permits 3,385 1,681 1,019
FY2025-26 through 4/17/2026
Parks
Number of Parks 10 10 10
Maintained Acreage (Parks & Landscape) 94.5 94.5 94.5
Facilities & Fleet
Maintained Facilities * Actual sq.ft. vs. Usable sq.ft. 136,000 136,000 168,000 Meeting/ Event Setup Not tracked 87 79
FY2025-26 through 4/8/2026
Wastewater
Underground Service Alert Tickets 9,548 13,480 13,822
Sewer System Root Foaming 212,842 ft. 0 ft. 28,285 ft.
Sewer Mainline Flushing 483,534 ft. 546,091 ft. 498,263 ft.
Wastewater Customer Service Cards 243 228 197
FY2025-26 through 4/8/2026
Streets
Potholes repaired 250 350 110
Community Requests Completed 125 141 220
Signs Replaced 290 316 470
Streetlights Repaired 150 155 325
Storm Drains Cleaned 1,250 1,610 1,960
Storm Water Outfalls Cleared 114 113 114
FY2025-26 through 4/8/2026
Commissions (Meetings Held)
PARC 11 10 10
Senior 11 9 8
FY2025-26 Projected
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 78
Position Summary
Department Final Position Final Position Adopted Position Adopted Position Position Change Authorized Position Title FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27 FY2026-27 Community Services Director - - - 1.00 1.00
Parks & Recreation Director 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 -1.00
Deputy Director - 1.00 1.00 2.00 1.00
Recreation Manager 1.00 - - - -
Recreation Supervisor 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Recreation Coordinator 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 -
Executive Assistant 1.00 - - - -
Office Assistant I/II 1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Facilities Attendant Coordinator 1.00 1.00 - - -
Recreation Assistant - - - 1.00 1.00
Maintenance Supervisor 2.00 2.00 2.00 4.00 2.00
Maintenance Lead Worker 4.00 4.00 4.00 5.00 1.00
Senior Maintenance Technician 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Maintenance Technician 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
10.00 9.00 9.00 13.00 4.00
Equipment Mechanic 1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 -
Accounting Technician I - 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Capital Improvement Projects
Manager
- - 1.00 1.00 -
Projects Manager - 1.00 1.00 1.00 -
Maintenance Superintendent - 0.50 0.50 - -0.50
Senior Wastewater
Maintenance Worker
- - - 1.00 1.00
Wastewater Maintenance - - - 4.00 4.00
Total 31.00 33.50 33.50 47.00 13.50
Budget Summary
Expenditures
FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 FY2026-27
Actual Actual Revised Adopted
Salaries & Benefits 5,441,986 6,345,905 6,525,362 8,481,363 Services & Supplies 3,193,079 3,448,070 3,909,916 4,306,292 Capital Outlay 389 - - -
Total 8,635,454 9,793,975 10,435,278 12,787,655
Revenue Source
General Fund 1,607,665 1,445,181 1,644,750 2,008,232
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 79
Maintenance Worker I/II
Worker I/II
FY2027-31 CIMMP
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 80
CIMMP OVERVIEW
What the CIMMP Is
The Capital Improvement & Major Maintenance Program (CIMMP) is the City’s five-year plan (FY2027–FY2031) for building, replacing, and maintaining its physical assets — streets, sidewalks, the sanitary sewer system, parks and playgrounds, and civic facilities. The first year of the plan is appropriated with the annual budget; the remaining four years are a planning forecast, re-evaluated each year. Ongoing or incomplete project budgets are re-appropriated into the following fiscal year.
What Counts as a Capital Expenditure
Capital expenditures are expenditures that create, extend the life of, or improve a physical asset with a useful life of at least one year and a cost of $10,000 or more — the City’s fixed-asset threshold under its Purchasing Policy. CIMMP projects include both capital improvements (new or upgraded assets, such as playground replacements and the new traffic signal controller) and major maintenance (work that preserves existing assets, such as annual street resurfacing and sewer structural reach replacement). Routine, recurring maintenance is budgeted in departmental operating budgets rather than the CIMMP.
Program Size and Funding
The FY2026-27 capital plan directs approximately $28.6 million to projects in the coming year, with roughly $35 million planned across the full FY2027-31 period. Projects are funded from a measured combination of sources, each identified on the individual project pages that follow: General Fund transfers to the Capital Projects Fund (CIP); restricted street revenues (Gas Tax, SB 1 RMRA, Measure B, Vehicle Registration Fee, TDA); development impact fees (Traffic, Park, Public Safety, General Government) expended per the Mitigation Fee Act; the Sewer Fund for sewer system projects; the Facility Maintenance, Fleet Vehicle, and Equipment Replacement funds; and competitive grants, including the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) program.
How Projects Are Selected
Candidate projects are proposed by departments each spring based on condition assessments, master plans (including the Complete Streets Master Plan, Sewer System Management Plan, and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan), regulatory requirements, and community requests. The interdepartmental CIMMP Budget Team reviews proposals for scope, cost, delivery capacity, and alignment with the City Council’s Strategic Goals — every funded project is tagged to a Council priority. The Finance Department consolidates the recommended program with the operating budget; the draft is reviewed by the City Manager and executive team and by the Financial Commission, and the City Council adopts the program by resolution following a public hearing in June.
Operating Budget Impact
Capital decisions are made with their operating consequences in mind, in three ways. First, the major-maintenance side of the program — annual resurfacing, slurry seal, sewer repair, root foaming, and sign replacement — exists to avoid far larger future costs; preventive treatment of streets and sewer mains is substantially cheaper than reconstruction or emergency repair, and reduces claims exposure. Second, several FY2026-27 projects directly reduce operating costs: solar and battery storage at Grant Park and a more efficient City Hall generator lower utility and compliance costs, and MSC EV infrastructure supports lower-cost fleet operation. Third, projects that add or expand facilities — such as the Community Center café and the future Library and Police buildings — carry future staffing, utility, and maintenance costs that are evaluated during project development and incorporated into the operating budget in the year a facility comes into service; the FY2026-27 operating budget includes maintenance funding for facilities and amenities delivered by prior-year projects.
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 81
Community Services
FY27 - FY31 Community Services Projects (including Historical Budgeted) Grant Playground $620,000 13.14%
Shoup Park Playground $620,000 13.14%
City Hall Emergency Back-up Power
Generator
$460,000 9.75%
MSC EV Infrastructure Project $390,000 8.26%
McKenzie Pickleball Courts Build $375,000 7.94%
Tennis Court Resurfacing $310,000 6.57%
New Police Building Design $300,000 6.36%
Grant Park Facility Solar and Battery
Storage Installation
$275,000 5.83%
Grant Park Basketball Court
Replacement and Resurfacing
$250,000 5.30%
History Museum Roof Replacement $215,000 4.56%
Lincoln Park Gazebo Replacement $200,000 4.24%
Community Center Café $165,000 3.50%
Police Department Building Security
Upgrades
$155,000 3.28%
San Antonio Club Upgrades $85,000 1.80%
Playground Improvements at Admin
Building B
$80,000 1.69%
Irrigation Control Replacement $75,000 1.59%
Garden House Upgrades - Design $75,000 1.59%
Sidewalk Concrete Repair and Work $50,000 1.06%
Redwood Grove Pathway
Improvements
$20,000 0.42%
$3M
$2M
0 0 0 0
Historical Budgeted 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031
0 $1M
$2M
$3M
$4M
Summary of Requests
Project No. /
Category
Historical
Budgeted
FY2027 FY2028 FY2029 FY2030 FY2031
40009
Grant Playground
$620,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
40008 $620,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 82
Project No. /
Category
Historical
Budgeted
FY2027 FY2028 FY2029 FY2030 FY2031
Shoup Park Playground
10007
City Hall Emergency
Back-up Power
Generator
$420,000 $40,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
10010
MSC EV Infrastructure
Project
$350,000 $40,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
10021
McKenzie Pickleball
Courts Build
$0 $375,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
10019
Tennis Court
Resurfacing
$0 $310,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
10015
New Police Building
Design
$300,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
10014
Grant Park Facility Solar
and Battery Storage
Installation
$275,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
10020
Grant Park Basketball
Court Replacement and
Resurfacing
$0 $250,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
10011
History Museum Roof
Replacement
$175,000 $40,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
10022
Lincoln Park Gazebo
Replacement
$0 $200,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
40006
Community Center Café
$165,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
10001
Police Department
Building Security
Upgrades
$75,000 $80,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
10002
San Antonio Club
Upgrades
$85,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
10023
Playground
Improvements at
Admin Building B
$0 $80,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
10025
Irrigation Control
Replacement
$0 $75,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
10018
Garden House
Upgrades - Design
$0 $75,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
10026
Sidewalk Concrete
Repair andWork
$0 $50,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
10024
Redwood Grove
Pathway Improvements
$0 $20,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 83
Project No. /
Category
Historical
Budgeted
FY2027 FY2028 FY2029 FY2030 FY2031
Total Summary of
Requests
$3,085,000 $1,635,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
Project No. / Category
(continued from above)
Total
40009
Grant Playground
$620,000
40008
Shoup Park Playground
$620,000
10007
City Hall Emergency Back-up Power Generator
$460,000
10010
MSC EV Infrastructure Project
$390,000
10021
McKenzie Pickleball Courts Build
$375,000
10019
Tennis Court Resurfacing
$310,000
10015
New Police Building Design
$300,000
10014
Grant Park Facility Solar and Battery Storage Installation $275,000
10020
Grant Park Basketball Court Replacement and Resurfacing $250,000
10011
History Museum Roof Replacement
$215,000
10022
Lincoln Park Gazebo Replacement
$200,000
40006
Community Center Café
$165,000
10001
Police Department Building Security Upgrades
$155,000
10002
San Antonio Club Upgrades
$85,000
10023
Playground Improvements at Admin Building B
$80,000
10025
Irrigation Control Replacement
$75,000
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 84
Project No. / Category
(continued from above)
Total
10018
Garden House Upgrades - Design
$75,000
10026
Sidewalk Concrete Repair andWork
$50,000
10024
Redwood Grove Pathway Improvements
$20,000
Total Summary of Requests $4,720,000
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 85
City Hall Emergency Back-up Power
Generator
Overview
Department Community Services
Type Capital Improvement
Project Type FY27-31 CIMMP
Project Number 10007
Project Category Civic Facilities-Buildings
Project Location
1 North San Antonio Road
Description
The existing stand-by generators at City Hall, Police Department and the Municipal Services Center are beyond their useful life and in need of replacement. The City has been required by Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) to register the emergency generator under the Portable Equipment Registration Program. The generator is subject to unscheduled inspections by the State for compliance with emission requirements.
While the existing generator is meeting the current emission requirements, it is aging and at risk of exceeding emission standards soon. A new more energy-efficient generator will meet all BAAQMD requirements and will be more cost-effective to operate.
Details
Project Type: Capital Improvement
Capital Cost
FY2027 Budget
$40K
Total Budget (all years)
$40K
Project Total (to date)
$460K
Detailed Breakdown
Category
Historical
Budgeted
FY2027
Requested
FY2028
Requested
FY2029
Requested
FY2030
Requested
FY2031
Requested
Total
Construction $420,000 $40,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $460,000
Total $420,000 $40,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $460,000
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 86
Funding Sources
FY2027 Budget
$40K
Total Budget (all years)
$40K
Project Total (to date)
$460K
Detailed Breakdown
Category
Historical
Budgeted
FY2027
Requested
FY2028
Requested
FY2029
Requested
FY2030
Requested
FY2031
Requested
Total
CIP $420,000 $40,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $460,000
Total $420,000 $40,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $460,000
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 87
Community Center Café
Overview
Department Community Services
Type Capital Improvement
Project Type FY27-31 CIMMP
Project Number 40006
Project Category Civic Facilities-Buildings
Description
Complete the construction documents and permitting, purchase the appliances, and complete the construction for a new café inside the Los Altos Community Center.
Images
Details
Project Type: Capital Improvement
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 88
Capital Cost
FY2027 Budget
$0
Total Budget (all years)
$0
Project Total (to date)
$165K
Funding Sources
FY2027 Budget
$0
Total Budget (all years)
$0
Project Total (to date)
$165K
Detailed Breakdown
Category
Historical
Budgeted
FY2027
Requested
FY2028
Requested
FY2029
Requested
FY2030
Requested
FY2031
Requested
Total
Construction $150,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $150,000
Design $15,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $15,000
Total $165,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $165,000
Detailed Breakdown
Category
Historical
Budgeted
FY2027
Requested
FY2028
Requested
FY2029
Requested
FY2030
Requested
FY2031
Requested
Total
In-Lieu Park $165,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $165,000
Total $165,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $165,000
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 89
Garden House Upgrades - Design
Overview
Department Community Services
Type Capital Improvement
Project Type FY27-31 CIMMP
Project Number 10018
Project Category Civic Facilities-Parks and Trails
Description
Create a design for interior upgrades at the Garden House facility.
Images
Details
Project Type: Capital Improvement
Capital Cost
FY2027 Budget
$75K
Total Budget (all years)
$75K
Project Total
$75K
Detailed Breakdown
Category
Historical
Budgeted
FY2027
Requested
FY2028
Requested
FY2029
Requested
FY2030
Requested
FY2031
Requested
Total
Design $0 $75,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $75,000
Total $0 $75,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $75,000
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 90
Funding Sources
FY2027 Budget
$75K
Total Budget (all years)
$75K
Project Total
$75K
Project Timeline
09/1/2026
Design to start in September
02/1/2027
Completion of design options
Detailed Breakdown
Category
Historical
Budgeted
FY2027
Requested
FY2028
Requested
FY2029
Requested
FY2030
Requested
FY2031
Requested
Total
In-Lieu Park $0 $75,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $75,000
Total $0 $75,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $75,000
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 91
Grant Park Basketball Court Replacement
and Resurfacing
Overview
Department Community Services
Type Capital Improvement
Project Type FY27-31 CIMMP
Project Number 10020
Project Category Civic Facilities-Parks and Trails
Project Location
Description
Replace and resurface basketball court surface at Grant Park including posts and backboards.
Details
Project Type: Capital Improvement
Capital Cost
FY2027 Budget
$250K
Total Budget (all years)
$250K
Project Total
$250K
Funding Sources
FY2027 Budget
$250K
Total Budget (all years)
$250K
Project Total
$250K
Detailed Breakdown
Category
Historical
Budgeted
FY2027
Requested
FY2028
Requested
FY2029
Requested
FY2030
Requested
FY2031
Requested
Total
Construction $0 $250,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $250,000
Total $0 $250,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $250,000
Detailed Breakdown
Category
Historical
Budgeted
FY2027
Requested
FY2028
Requested
FY2029
Requested
FY2030
Requested
FY2031
Requested
Total
In-Lieu Park $0 $250,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $250,000
Total $0 $250,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $250,000
FY2026-27 Budget Book | Los Altos Page 92