Agenda packet, regular meeting — Los Altos City Council, September 22, 2026 (part 1 of 2)

CITY COUNCIL MEETING
AGENDA
September 22, 2026 - 7:00 PM
Hybrid
PARTICIPATION: Members of the public are invited to participate by attending the meeting at the Los Altos Council Chamber, located at Los Altos City Hall, 1 N. San Antonio Rd, Los Altos, CA, during the meeting.

Public comments are accepted in person at the physical meeting location, remotely using Zoom technology, or via email to [email protected] or through the Public Comment forum on the city website: Public Comments Form.

RULES FOR CONDUCT: According to Los Altos Municipal Code, Section 2.05.010 "Interruptions and rules for conduct": Understanding that the purpose of the city council meetings is to conduct the people's business for the benefit of all the people, in the event that any meeting of the city council is willfully interrupted by a person or group of persons so as to render the orderly conduct of the meeting impossible, the mayor, mayor pro tem, or any other member of the city council acting as the chair may order the removal of the person or persons responsible for the disruption and bar them from further attendance at the council meeting, or otherwise proceed pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.0 or any applicable penal statute or city ordinance.

REMOTE MEETING PARTICIPATION: Members of the public may view the meeting via the link below and will be permitted to provide public comment via Zoom or telephone. Those viewing the meeting via Zoom may use the "Raise Hand" feature to provide public comment on agenda items. Those calling in by telephone over Zoom may use the *9 feature to "raise their hand" to provide public comment. Public comments will also be accepted in person, and members of the public may submit written comments by following the instructions below.
https://losaltosca-gov.zoom.us/j/93994135532?pwd=2UNGc53MpaloEJugfqzqzIhGtNcbLI.1 Telephone: 1-669-444-9171 / Webinar ID: 939 9413 5532 / Passcode: 594548 SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENTS: Before the meeting, comments on matters listed on the agenda may be emailed to [email protected]. Emailed public comments sent directly to the City Council, either as a group or individually, will not be included in the agenda packet but may be disclosable as part of a public records request. Emails sent to [email protected] will be included in the appropriate agenda packet and are also disclosable as part of a public records request.

Please note: Personal information, such as e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, home addresses, and other contact information, is not required to be included with your comments. If this information is included in your written comments, it will become part of the public record. Redactions and/or edits will not be made to public comments, and the comments will be posted as submitted. Please do not include any information in your communication that you do not want to be made public.

Correspondence submitted in hard copy/paper format must be received by 2:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting to ensure distribution prior to the meeting. Hard copy/paper format comments presented during the meeting will be distributed to the City Council the following day. Members of the public may present a copy of their comments or attachments to the City Clerk for distribution to the City Council.

The Mayor will open public comment and will announce the length of time provided for comments during each item.

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AGENDA

CALL MEETING TO ORDER

ESTABLISH QUORUM

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

REPORT ON CLOSED SESSION

CHANGES TO THE ORDER OF THE AGENDA

SPECIAL ITEMS
Receive a presentation from the Los Altos Hills Fire District

PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Members of the audience may bring to the Council's attention any item that is not on the agenda. The Mayor will announce the time speakers will be granted before comments begin. Please be advised that, by law, the City Council is unable to discuss or take action on issues presented during the Public Comment Period.

According to State Law (also known as “The Brown Act”) items must first be noted on the agenda before any discussion or action.

CONSENT CALENDAR
These items will be considered by one motion. Prior to consideration of the Consent Calendar, a Councilmember may remove an item from the Consent Calendar. Any item removed from the Consent Calendar for discussion will be handled at the discretion of the Mayor.

1. Approval of Meeting Minutes - Special and Regular Meeting of September 8, 2026

2. Adoption of Resolution - Addendum No. 14 to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant Basic Agreement
Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute Addendum No.14 to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant Basic Agreement between the City of Palo Alto, the City of Mountain View, and the City of Los Altos

3. Authorize Appointment - Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board Member Authorize Councilmember Jonathan D. Weinberg to serve an additional two years on the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board (Group 2), representing the north counties

DISCUSSION ITEMS

4. Adoption of Interim Urgency Ordinance - Detention or Custodial Facilities and Custodial Processing Facilities
Adopt an Interim Urgency Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Los Altos, to be read in title only further reading waived, establishing a temporary moratorium on the filing, acceptance, processing, or approval of applications for, and the establishment or operation of, detention or custodial detention facilities and custodial processing facilities pending study of appropriate zoning and land use regulations; and find the ordinance exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3)

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5. Discussion Item - Potential Police Station Redevelopment Receive a presentation on potential redevelopment of the Police Station and provide direction on the preferred option

6. Commission Appointments - Appoint Applicants to City Commissions Appoint members to the following commissions:
• Complete Streets Commission
• Environmental Commission
• Planning Commission

7. Agreement Approval - Amendment No. 1 to Legal Services Agreement Approve Amendment No. 1 to the legal services agreement between the City of Los Altos and Berliner Cohen, LLP Attorneys with an updated flat-rate monthly retainer cost of $21,500 for up to 70 hours of legal services and an hourly rate of $385, both subject to annual CPI increases

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS / COUNCIL Q&A
There will be no discussion or action on Informational Items. The Council Q&A will be included in the packet the day of the meeting.

8. Tentative Council Calendar and Housing Element Implementation Schedule

9. 09-22-2026 Council QA

COUNCIL/STAFF REPORTS AND DIRECTIONS ON FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

ADJOURNMENT

SPECIAL NOTICES TO THE PUBLIC
According to the City Council Norms and Procedures: It will be customary to have a recess at approximately 9:00 p.m. Before the recess, the Mayor shall announce whether any items will be carried over to the next meeting. The established hour after which no new items will be started is 11:00 p.m. Remaining items, however, may be considered by consensus of the Council.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Altos will make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. If you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please get in touch with the City Clerk at least 72 hours before the meeting.

All public records relating to an open session item on this agenda, which are not exempt from disclosure according to the California Public Records Act, and that are distributed to a majority of the legislative body, will be available for public inspection at the same time that the public records are distributed or made available to the legislative body.

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From: Melissa Smith
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - for item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026 1:07:07 PM
Dear Los Altos City Councilmembers, cc: PARC Commissioners, After evaluating all the research, I was pleased that, on 9/15/2026, the PARC Commission made the following recommendation to the city staff - “For the Shoup and Grant park playground upgrades, Engineered Wood Fibers (EWF) will be the primary surface material. No PIP rubber will be used. Removable/non-permanent accommodations may be added such as mats in high fall areas." I am writing to request that the Council direct city staff to explicitly follow that recommendation for the upcoming Shoup and Grant Park upgrades and all future park playground renovations that follow.

I am a parent who lives near Shoup Park. It is a beautiful resource that I, and my neighbors appreciate for its natural setting and well maintained facilities, including the playgrounds.

PIP is a serious downgrade from the current playground surface. Natural play surfaces exist that avoid many of the health and environmental concerns associated with PIP. Please put yourself in the position of parents who have children. Would you want to expose them to the toxic chemicals in PIP rubber or expose them to the extreme heat of PIP surfaces (160°F or higher on an 82°F day)? Thank you for your consideration,
Melissa Smith
Los Altos Resident

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From: Brent Smith
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - for item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026 1:08:26 PM
Dear Los Altos City Councilmembers, cc: PARC Commissioners, After evaluating all the research, I was pleased that, on 9/15/2026, the PARC Commission made the following recommendation to the city staff - “For the Shoup and Grant park playground upgrades, Engineered Wood Fibers (EWF) will be the primary surface material. No PIP rubber will be used. Removable/non-permanent accommodations may be added such as mats in high fall areas."
I am writing to request that the Council direct city staff to explicitly follow that recommendation for the upcoming Shoup and Grant Park upgrades and all future park playground renovations that follow.

I am a parent who lives near Shoup Park. It is a beautiful resource that I, and my neighbors appreciate for its natural setting and well maintained facilities, including the playgrounds.

PIP is a serious downgrade from the current playground surface. Natural play surfaces exist that avoid many of the health and environmental concerns associated with PIP.

Please put yourself in the position of parents who have children. Would you want to expose them to the toxic chemicals in PIP rubber or expose them to the extreme heat of PIP surfaces (160°F or higher on an 82°F day)?
Thank you for your consideration,
Brent Smith
Los Altos Resident

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From: Dashiell Leeds
To: Public Comment; Sally Meadows; Larry Lang; Pete Dailey; Jonathan Weinberg Cc: James Eggers; [email protected]; Sue Chow
Subject: SCLP letter to Los Altos regarding pour in place rubber Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026 4:48:47 PM
Attachments: SCLP Letter to Los Altos re pour in place rubber.pdf Dear Los Altos Mayor Meadows, Vice Mayor Lang and Honorable Councilmembers, The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter encourages Los Altos to reject aggressive, profit-driven sales pitches that prioritize private equity gains over public health and the environment. Pour in place rubber (PIP) is not the simple, foolproof solution it’s often claimed to be.

Please read the attached letter for more information.

Sincerely,
Susan Hinton
Conservation Committee, Chair
Plastic Pollution Prevention Committee, Chair
Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter

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SAN MATEO, SANTA CLARA & SAN BENITO COUNTIES
September 17, 2026
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Subject: Public Comment - For items not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Dear Los Altos Mayor Meadows, Vice Mayor Lang and Honorable Councilmembers, The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter encourages Los Altos to reject aggressive, profit-driven sales pitches that prioritize private equity gains over public health and the environment. Pour in place rubber (PIP) is not the simple, foolproof solution it’s often claimed to be.

Sales representatives are paid to be convivial and appear knowledgeable When it comes to sales and increasing company valuations, private equity owned playground and recreation firms, such as PlayPower, backed by the private equity firm Platinum Equity[1], or Playcore, backed by Court Square Partners and Leonard Green & Partners[2] excel at pulling dollars from customers. This is their primary reason for existing[3]. (Note: GameTime is a division of PlayCore[2.1].) [1. https://www.platinumequity.com/news/platinum-equity-completes-playpower-acquisition/] [2.https://www.courtsquare.com/media/court-square-backed-playcore-announces-continuatio n-fund-led-by-sage-equity-investors/]
[2.1 https://www.playcore.com/our-brands/gametime]
[3. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/privateequity.asp] They do this, in part, by utilizing well known sales techniques deployed in a manner similar to those used by pharmaceutical representatives. Specifically there is “Value-based Consultative Selling.”[4] While a pharmaceutical representative might sell health outcomes, a private equity backed playground representative might sell child development, physical safety or inclusive play. While a pharmaceutical representative might use clinical trial data to support claims that a drug works, a playground representative might provide research and injury statistics to support claims that a playground layout promotes learning while minimizing risk.
[4. https://mixology-digital.com/glossary/value-based-selling] sierraclub.org/loma-prieta ~ 3921 East Bayshore Road, Suite 204, Palo Alto, CA 94303

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There is a hitch in both instances, which ought not surprise those familiar with marketing or sales: Sales representatives are paid to sell, which is likely to motivate self-interest. Without a sale, sales representatives lose income. They are therefore incentivized to cherry pick research, statistics and data. They are likely to highlight their products’ strengths while ignoring weaknesses and, of course, the reverse is true when discussing competitors’ products.[5]
[5. https://hbr.org/podcast/2025/03/when-sales-incentives-backfire] Why is this important?
This is important because every customer, especially customers purchasing with taxpayer money for the public good, should seek the best product for their money rather than, for example, a training certificate[6] or attendance at a conference[7] arranged by the company selling products to a public entity.
[6. https://www.playcore.com/education]
[7. https://education.playcore.com/cprs , scroll down to see “Free of charge!”] Real Scientific Research Occurs Independent of Sales
Frustratingly, knowledgeable citizens seeking the best research that is independent of commercial interest, for example published in top peer-reviewed journals, written by scientists after years of study or experimentation. However, those same citizens may be told by city staff that an industry consultant hired by staff has a better idea.

If you were seeking information on synthetic rubber (a fossil fuel product similar to plastic grass), chemicals or microplastics, who would you trust: Harvard University[8] or a for profit company representative? Should you trust Northeastern University in Boston[9], or perhaps the University of Massachusetts Lowell – Toxics Use Reduction Institute[10], or a profit-driven firm that sells designs and equipment for playgrounds? What about MIT[11] vs a salesperson?
[8. https://hsph.harvard.edu/department/environmental-health/research/microplastics/] [9. https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/01/09/crumb-rubber-health-risks/ - This year, 2026] Recall that California’s OEHHA study, often said to clear crumb rubber, specifically didn’t look at many chemicals. Scroll to section 7.3. Study Boundaries and Limitations:
https://oehha.ca.gov/sites/default/files/media/2026-03/oehhaturffinal.pdf] [10.https://www.turi.org/publications/playground-surfacing-choosing-safer-materials-for-childr ens-health-and-the-environment/]
[11.https://sciencepolicyreview.org/2026/07/tiny-pollutants-big-changes-progress-in-micropla stics-research-and-u-s-policy/]
Research Shows Nature Fosters Mental Well-Being and that More BIodiversity Yields Measureable, Stronger Results
sierraclub.org/loma-prieta ~ 3921 East Bayshore Road, Suite 204, Palo Alto, CA 94303

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Researchers have found that the more biodiverse an area is, the more that location is associated with feelings of well-being. Researchers at Kings College London published a study in the scientific journal Nature[12], examining the mental health impact of everyday encounters with different levels of natural diversity. Though there are many studies indicating that focus and well-being are enhanced by natural surroundings, this study is notable for its scope and clear results. During a period from 2018 to 2023, with nearly 2,000 participants, in addition to determining that environments with a larger number of natural features were associated with greater mental wellbeing, they found that the benefits last up to eight hours. [12. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416115936.htm] Imagine every child imbued with a sense of well-being that lasts well past the actual experience. Parks in Los Altos currently planted with trees, grass and other flora, include natural playground surfacing, engineered wood fiber (EWF) that is flora, fauna, and child friendly. Such a surface works with nature and the kind of biodiversity mentioned above.

Table created from the following sources:
[13.https://www.turi.org/publications/playground-surfacing-choosing-safer-materials-for-childr ens-health-and-the-environment/]
[14.https://njaudubon.org/new-jersey-audubon-recognized-for-outstanding-efforts-in-the-field -of-community-and-urban-forestry-in-new-jersey/ Search for ‘wood’] [15. https://www.crpd.org/why-play-fiber]
EWF is ADA Compliant for Fall Protection, Fall Protection Needs are Limited sierraclub.org/loma-prieta ~ 3921 East Bayshore Road, Suite 204, Palo Alto, CA 94303

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For an authoritative publication on play surfacing that is more technical, one might turn to the July 2025 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission document Public Playground Safety Handbook.[16] On page 14 it notes that “shock-absorbing, protective surfacing” is “recommended under and around all elevated playground equipment for which a child is unable to maintain contact with the ground during play.”[16] In other words fall compliance is not needed for play occurring at ground level. Therefore quite a bit of EWF or PIP on playgrounds is superfluous. Neither is necessary past a reasonable number of feet surrounding swings or climbing structures. Page 15 notes that items including the following do not require protective surfacing:
● Sand boxes
● Activity walls at ground level
● Play houses
● Any other equipment that children use when their feet remain in contact with the ground surface
Furthermore, when it comes to fall protection, the following solutions are considered equivalent: “Any material impact-tested to ASTM F1292, including unitary surfaces, engineered wood fiber complying with ASTM F2075, loose-fill rubber mulch complying with ASTM F3012, etc.”[16]
[16.https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/325_PublicPlaygroundSafetyHandbook2025_7-30-25_

1.pdf?VersionId=tpCoaKp.DSdJ0QmD4_29kwEHeQgFphM2]
Disabilities, Wheelchairs, and ADA
First we should acknowledge that there exist quite a few disabilities, many not requiring wheelchairs. Each type comes with a set of recommendations. For example, children with a cochlear implant, a surgically placed device for those with significant hearing loss, must avoid surfaces prone to electrostatic discharge. This includes playground equipment made from molded plastic[17] as well as outdoor pour in place surfacing. [18] [17.https://professionals.cid.edu/understanding-and-minimizing-the-effects-of-static-electricit y-on-cochlear-implants/]
[18.https://sigma-hse.com/news-insights/electrostatic-hazard-assessments/] As for wheelchairs themselves, they can be safely pushed over many surfaces including EWF (I have personally pushed an adult across EWF) or crushed rock; on Labor Day weekend I observed wheelchairs at Filoli Gardens safely pushed over long stretches of crushed rock. ADA fall prevention, again, is meant to address falling from a height, not rolling in the wheelchair. Otherwise sidewalks, for example, would all need to be reconstructed.

Lawsuits
Recently I heard a City staff member, at a PARC (Parks, Arts, Recreation, & Cultural) Commission meeting, state that because parents sued Los Altos following a child’s fall, resulting in a broken limb, PIP is a preferred surfacing. sierraclub.org/loma-prieta ~ 3921 East Bayshore Road, Suite 204, Palo Alto, CA 94303

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Unfortunately no online search I’ve undertaken has resulted in finding such a lawsuit, though there have been lawsuits made in nearby cities due to events on playgrounds, notably:
● A 2023 lawsuit in Palo Alto where an unsupervised second-grade student was said to have jumped from the top of a school slide, landing on a younger child.[19] [19.https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2023/08/03/palo-alto-school-district-sued-fo r-negligence-over-kindergarteners-broken-leg/]
● A 2020 lawsuit in Palo Alto after a student fell face-first onto a concrete curb near a school sandbox.[20]
[20.https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2020/09/25/elementary-student-who-was-in jured-on-playground-to-receive-200k-settlement/]
● A 2025 lawsuit in Redwood City when a play structure at Magical Bridge Playground fell onto a child.[21]
[21.https://padailypost.com/2025/12/03/city-to-pay-31000-for-childs-injuries-on-playgr ound/]
● A 2026 lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court following a crushed, wedged hand stuck in a rotating platform at a Magical Bridge Playground in Palo Alto.[22]
● [22. https://padailypost.com/2026/04/10/magical-bridge-spurs-lawsuit/] Elsewhere, however, in the U.S., there have been lawsuits targeting EWF, but the catch is that there have also been lawsuits targeting PIP.[23] PIP lawsuits tend to succeed based on a failure to test for UV hardening. Such lawsuits cost in the same range as for EWF, $100K to over $1M.[24] There are also expensive lawsuits involving PIP surfacing that have been settled due to heat retention[25].
[23.https://www.gsrma.org/reducing-liability-for-public-playgrounds-in-california] [24.https://macombinjurylawyers.com/average-slip-and-fall-settlement/] [25.https://annieandrews.law/settlement/results-playground-product-liability-settlement/] Sadly playgrounds are more frequently being considered high risk by insurance companies, independent of surfacing. It’s almost as if it would be better to return to the original “playground,” a big field. However, given that playgrounds are considered easy targets for lawsuits, regardless of the surfacing, the City should pick the best environmental option that is also best for mental wellbeing.

Open space grassy areas foster imaginative play, well-being and biodiversity Parks and playgrounds should allow residents to enjoy everything people enjoy at a public park, such as walking, running, improvising games, staking volleyball nets or tents, setting chairs for a picnic or gathering, walking pets, kicking a ball, rolling on the ground, playing hide or seek, jumping throwing a frisbee, etc. Most people, including families with children and seniors, regard parks as open space for a broad range of activity.

Fossil fuel surfaces limit activity and ultimately contribute to climate change. sierraclub.org/loma-prieta ~ 3921 East Bayshore Road, Suite 204, Palo Alto, CA 94303

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We respectfully urge Los Altos not to fall for sales tactics designed to maximize profit at the expense of public health and the environment. Provide healthy biodiverse surroundings for Los Altos children.

Sincerely,
Susan Hinton
Conservation Committee, Chair
https://www.sierraclub.org/loma-prieta/conservation
Plastic Pollution Prevention Committee, Chair
https://www.sierraclub.org/loma-prieta/plastic-pollution-prevention Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter
sierraclub.org/loma-prieta ~ 3921 East Bayshore Road, Suite 204, Palo Alto, CA 94303

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From: Andrea Wald
To: Public Comment
Subject: Comment for 9/22 City Council mtg - Support for Recommendation by PARC commission - 9/15/26 mtg Date: Friday, September 18, 2026 6:45:01 AM
Dear Mayor Meadows, Vice Mayor Lang and Council Members, I am very pleased by the recommendation that was made by the PARC commission at their most recent meeting on 9/15/26 regarding the renovations that are being planned for both Grant and Shoup Playgrounds.
“EWF as the primary surface material for the renovations at both Shoup Park and Grant Park with supplemental mats in high fall / high traffic areas. No PIP surfacing will be included." The fact that they paid attention and absorbed all the materials supplied to them about the harms of PIP and listened to the desire of residents to not use it is just fabulous. Sticking with EWF - a known, natural material is great for everyone. I hope that staff will follow this recommendation and am looking for your support, as well.

Thank you.

Andrea Wald

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From: Kim Hunter
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - Item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Council Meeting Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026 5:38:12 PM
Dear Mayor Meadows and Councilmembers,
As a resident of Los Altos, I am writing to request that the City Council ratify the recommendation made by the PARC commission on 9/15/26, regarding the playground surface for the Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds upgrades under the PlayCore (AKA GameTime) contract approved in Jan 2026. Please direct City Staff to act accordingly.

The PARC Commissions recommended “EWF as the primary surface material for the renovations at both Shoup Park and Grant Park with supplemental mats in high fall / high traffic areas. No PIP surfacing will be included."
The commission arrived at the recommendation after serious deliberation, upon hearing the working pair's research summary and recommendations, along with over 250 resident public comments and formal letters from GreenTown Los Altos, the Sierra Club's Loma Prieta Chapter, and Breathe California.

Please listen to your concerned citizens,
Kim Hunter
505 Clark Ct.

Los Altos

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From: Robert Hall
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment -- Item not on the agenda, 9/22 Council Meeting Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026 6:13:56 PM
Attachments: Schroeder-Park-Safe-Playground-Ideas-20220712.pdf Dear Members of the Los Altos City Council,
Please ratify the recommendation of the PARC Commission and avoid artificial turf and poured-in-place (PIP) rubber surfacing in the redesign of Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds, and instead follow the research-based recommendations outlined in the attached presentation, "Playgrounds: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."
While synthetic surfaces are often marketed as low-maintenance and safe, the evidence tells a different story:
- Extreme heat: Independent thermal testing has recorded synthetic turf and tire surfaces reaching 150-170°F on sunny days - more than double the temperature of natural grass. These temperatures are hot enough to cause second- and third-degree burns, and there are documented cases of young children being burned on these surfaces. - Health hazards: Tire-based infills contain at least a dozen known carcinogens, along with lead and PFAS "forever chemicals" that can leach out when it rains. Synthetic turf is currently under federal investigation by the EPA (see epa.gov/tirecrumb). - Injury risk: Fall-related injuries remain a leading cause of playground ER visits, and testing (Gmax/HIC) to confirm these surfaces meet safety thresholds is expensive, inconsistently performed, and often skipped entirely after installation. Surfaces can fail without obvious visual signs.
- High cost, short lifespan: Synthetic turf installations can cost $50,000 or more, often carry no warranty for playground use, and may need replacement in as little as 2-7 years - far short of what's promised.
- Sanitary concerns: Synthetic turf has been linked to outbreaks of Staph/MRSA and handfoot-and-mouth disease (coxsackievirus) among users.

By contrast, Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) - already used on roughly 75% of U.S. playgrounds - offers a genuinely better solution:
- ADA-compliant when properly installed and maintained, per IPEMA testing - Meets ASTM, CPSC, and ADA safety standards
- Naturally cooler, non-toxic, and lead-free
- Far less expensive to install and maintain, with a 15-25 year lifespan - Endorsed by pediatricians at Mount Sinai's Children's Environmental Health Center Beyond surfacing, the attached presentation also highlights inspiring examples of naturebased, inclusive playscapes - such as Forest Park's Anne O'C. Albrecht Nature Playscape, the Oxbow Regional Park Adventure Base Camp, and Adelaide Zoo's Nature's Playground - that combine natural materials, accessibility, and imaginative play in ways that engage children of all abilities far more deeply than standard synthetic equipment.

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I hope the Council will prioritize children's health and safety, environmental responsibility, and long-term cost-effectiveness by choosing natural materials like Engineered Wood Fiber over artificial turf or PIP for Shoup and Grant Park. I've attached the full presentation for your review and would be glad to discuss this further.

Sincerely,
Bob Hall

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PLAYGROUNDS:

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
July 12, 2022
Jill and Kevin Schilling

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE
Forest Park Anne O’C. Albrecht
Nature Playscape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=GDfvQtLsaYM&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/embed/wuJ7sBQt7hk?start=105&end=133 https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y2TQDSN49hc?start=247&end=278

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“I love coming
here!”
I wonder how many
dinosaur bones
I’ll find today?
What do kids think about the Playscape?
“I like how it has
different areas
and especially
the water!”
“Going on the logs and
balancing on the little blocks
— I love going on the rocks,
too. I’m also pretending that
the sand is quicksand.”

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE
Forest Park Oakland Avenue Playground

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE
“Everyone's Beanstalk Playground. Built in
Morganton, North Carolina, a staple to Catawba
Meadows. Attracting visitors from all over the
country, this 9 tower design features sky
hammocks, spider webs, monkey fists, mini slack
lines and more. We designed this playground to
suit everyone and enable everyone the experience
of fun and adventure. 80% of this playground is
accessible by wheelchair !! Features a self
managed zipline, and a wheelchair enabled swing,
you have to see this in person to truly appreciate
the uniqueness. #webuildthis #everyonecanplay
https://vimeo.com/189645642
Everyone’s Beanstalk Playground (North Carolina)

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MORE IDEAS: INCLUSIVE

ACTIVITIES/EQUIPMENT
Playgrounds need to be inviting spaces for children of all abilities. Children need access but also the activities and opportunities to engage in play with others. To enjoy the playground once there!

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE
Towne Park Certified Nature Explore Classroom
Nature Explore Program: https://natureexplore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/NE_Portfolio_Digital-2.18.pdf Photos Source: https://playstlouis.blogspot.com/2018/08/towne-park-foristell.html

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/visit/family-of-attractions/shaw-nature-reserve/learn-discover-at-shaw-nature-reserve/kids-families/childrensnature-play-areas.aspx Missouri Botanical Garden Nature Explore Classroom Shaw Nature Reserve Nature Explore Classroom

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE
Oxbow Regional Park (Oregon)
https://learninglandscapesdesign.com/playgrounds-go-wild-at-metro/

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE
https://learninglandscapesdesign.com/playgrounds-go-wild-at-metro/

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE
• The two nature play areas cost a total of
$565,000
• Because of parent insight, Metro planners
were better able to gauge how easily
children could be transferred from
wheelchairs to play equipment. They
planned accessible paths from parking
areas, designed fencing around the play
areas and even chose building materials
that won’t interfere with the use of
cochlear implants.
https://learninglandscapesdesign.com/playgrounds-go-wild-at-metro/ • Over the last decade, Metro has invested in naturebased play areas across the region, with the goal of giving kids opportunities to connect on a deeper
level with the natural world around them.
• “We’ve found that in nature-based play areas,
where you provide things like rocks, logs, sand and
water, kids are able to engage their minds as well
as their muscles,” said Rod Wojtanik, parks planning
manager at Metro. “They collaborate more and they
spend more time in the play area. It also brings the
parents or caregivers down into the play area with
them, which has been fun to see.”

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE
https://landezine.com/adelaide-zoo-natures-playground-by-wax-design/ Adelaide Zoo – Nature’s
Playground (Australia)

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE
https://landezine.com/adelaide-zoo-natures-playground-by-wax-design/

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INSPIRATION AND HOPE
• The playspace has rejuvenated the Zoo and
created a valued asset… with its success
measured by some of the highest visitor
numbers on record and unprecedented
increase in Zoo membership and
patronage.
• The underlying philosophy of the project is
for children of all ages, genders, cultures
and abilities to learn from nature through
play, enabling children to make decisions,
take risks, develop resilience and have fun.
https://landezine.com/adelaide-zoo-natures-playground-by-wax-design/ • A custom four metre high elevated walkway with
timber pods provides wheelchair compliant access
and a unique visitor experience irrespective of age or
mobility. The playspace is based on the planet’s
major Biomes and allows the Zoo to expand
teaching programs into Nature’s Playground.

These biomes provide numerous educational
opportunities allowing children to learn through the
natural environment. The creek represents aquatic
systems focusing on water play, and the sand pit
demonstrates the hot desert environments. The
bamboo maze, trampolines, and grass chimes
recreate the Savannah and the rope climb, walkway
and pods allow play in the forests of the world.

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DESIGNING PLAYGROUNDS FOR

HAPPIER, HEALTHIER KIDS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZCbNstq2Uk&t

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THE BAD

SURFACES
Fake surfaces
using ground up
tires and
synthetic turf –
the bad, ugly and
nasty

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THE BAD SURFACES
• Tire Surfaces (also known as “rubber”,
however they are just ground up tires
• Tire poured-in-place (PIP)
• Tire mulch
• Bonded tire mulch
• Tire Tiles
• Synthetic turf (also known as Astroturf,
artificial turf)
• FieldTurf, Shawgrass, other brands
• Infill or no infill
• Shockpad or no shockpad
https://playstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/02/kirkwood-city-park-kirkwood.html

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

SUMMARY
• ADA compliant, but potential to contribute to
disability because of its chemical maintenance
sprays, lead, PFAS (infills also contain
carcinogens)
• Much maintenance to repair worn surfaces,
fungus, mildew growing on it, replace infill,
repair seams
• Short life cycles (1 yr, 2 yr, 5 yr, 7 yr)
• Under federal investigation for causing harm
www.epa.gov/tirecrumb
• Hellish temperatures recorded at 150 and
higher on clear, sunny days – death, heat stroke,
2 nd-3rd degree burns recorded
Photo taken by Jill Schilling June 2022
Not pictured: although CPSC states it is
dangerous to eat on synthetic turf, a family
with young children was sitting and eating on it

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

SUMMARY
• Expensive and known to fail before
warranty (most playgrounds ZERO
warranty)
• Reported dangerous for falls,
concussions, 2nd-3rd degree burns
• Causes outbreaks of Staph/MRSA and
coxsackie virus (hand, foot and mouth
disease)
• Tire crumb infill chemicals include at
least 12 carcinogens
• Lead, PFAS (leaches when it rains)
• Fine particulate matter=cancer and
respiratory problems (plastic turns to
dust)
http://fieldturf.nj.com/
https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/news/latest-fieldturf-issue-nothing-1000-gallons-glue-wont-fix/

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

MAINTENANCE
https://playstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/02/kirkwood-city-park-kirkwood.html Additional photo taken by Jill Schilling June 2021

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

MAINTENANCE
Additional photos taken by Jill Schilling June 2021

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

MAINTENANCE
Additional photos taken by Jill Schilling June 2021

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

MAINTENANCE
Additional photos taken by Jill Schilling June 2022
Synthetic turf is extremely expensive at
installation ($50,000, expensive to fix,
life cycle is 2 yrs only! NO WARRANTY!

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

MAINTENANCE
Additional photos taken by Jill Schilling June 2022 Matted down synthetic turf=can be a sign of Gmax/HIC failure! Potentially dangerous for falls
Chocolate ice cream=carpet cleaning
problem,
Evidence that people eat here but
CPSC says not to
Closeup of matted down synthetic turf
Under approx 8-10 ft climbing
structure

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HEAT
Rockwood School District Surfaces FLIR Thermal images taken July 2019 by Kevin Schilling Grass Synthetic Turf
Newly Paved Black Asphalt Tire Tiles

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HEAT
• Real grass is the standard for surface temperatures. It is by far the coolest and best for children and adults alike.
• Real grass surface temperature usually matches air temperature • Engineered wood fiber is next coolest
• Concrete next
• Surface temperatures of 120 F and higher are hot enough to cause 2nd-3rd degree burns and contribute to heat stress, heat stroke and death

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HEAT
• Asphalt hot enough to burn
• Hottest surfaces are plastic and tires. By far!
• Tire surfaces and synthetic turf are typically DOUBLE the surface temperature of real grass!
• Heat is a problem on fake surfaces March-September
• Consider Veterans Tribute Park: June 2022
• Air temp: 84 F
• Grass: 91 F
• Plastic slide: 148 F
• Synthetic turf: nearly 170 F!

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THE BAD SURFACES’
PROBLEMS:

HEAT
“The child's mother posted
photos on Channel 3's
Facebook page, saying the 14
month old went down a slide
and landed on a rubber mat
with his palms down, causing
second degree burns to his
hands.”
https://www.local3news.com/toddler-burns-palms-while-playing-on-daycare-playground/article_97d5fe70-d1d1-56d6-8ed3-ae7ca6b7d722.html https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0N7LHYkE66k9EiRzWR91FFWhajAvZoequZWCg7eYyZUshWga8cpCUTt6CvWLuvucZl&id=100001265063234

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HEAT
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=127819&page=1

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HEAT
https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/dec/01/stringers-hold-artificial-turf/

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HEAT
http://www.safehealthyplayingfields
.org/the-problem-with-alternativeinfills/
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/0
9/07/new-jersey-schoolcoxsacievirus/
http://fieldturf.nj.com/
https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/to
pics/news/latest-fieldturf-issuenothing-1000-gallons-glue-wont-fix/ Athlete Injuries
from Synthetic
Turf

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HARDNESS (INJURIES)
• “The U. S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission has long recognized the
potential hazards that exist with the use of
playground equipment, with over 200,000
estimated emergency room-treated
injuries annually.”
• “Falls. Overall, about 79 percent of the
injuries that occurred on public equipment
involved falls (Table A2). Specifically, 68
percent of the injuries involved falls to the
surface below the equipment, 10 percent
involved falls to other parts of the same
equipment, and 1 percent involved falls to
unidentified surfaces. https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/325.pdf https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/playgrnd_0.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/embed/fCLSASyKlbE?start=664&end=711 https://www.youtube.com/embed/fCLSASyKlbE?start=1096&end=1115 Legoland Tire PIP Playground

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HARDNESS (INJURIES)
• Fall-related injuries were most prevalent
on climbers, accounting for 86 percent of
the total injuries on these products.”
https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/325.pdf
https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/playgrnd_0.pdf
https://www.courant.com/sdut-exclusive-14-kids-break-arms-in-palmquist-2011jan22-story.html

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THE BAD SURFACES’
PROBLEMS:

HARDNESS (INJURIES)
 “The key measurements used to
determine safety performance are
referred to as Gmax (g-force) and
HIC or Head Injury Criteria. Both of
these values relate to the ability of
the surface to reduce the force of
impact, cushion falls and reduce
serious head trauma.
 If any portion of a playground
surface exceeds the maximum
allowable limit of 1000 HIC or 200
Gmax at any point during its service
life, the playground must be fenced
o until the surface can be brought
into compliance either through
extensive refurbishment or
replacement. In light of these
factors, it makes considerable sense
to evaluate surfacing systems that
perform well below the maximum
limits of 1000 HIC and 200 Gmax.”
https://playstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/02/kirkwood-city-park-kirkwood.html https://wasbo.com/images/wasbo/documents/6/handouts/FMC2014_Designing_Performance_Based_Playground_Binder.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1R twRnCOkMPVu8bFzIW-Z_aJRPaHcsMngCrw-7ZFSxRmLZJ5oQ_mvTG2Y Kirkwood Park

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HARDNESS (INJURIES) AND HEAT
• Veterans Tribute Park, Weldon
Spring, Missouri
• June 24, 2022
• 160 F at 10:30 am; 170 F by 11:00 am
synthetic turf surface temperatures
• ASTM F1292 requires that surfaces
meet Gmax 200 and/or HIC 1000 for
the life of the product to prevent
fatality (death)!
• Gmax and/or HIC values should be
lowered to prevent injuries.

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HARDNESS (INJURIES)
• Dirt coming through the synthetic turf
in at least two spots - under
approximately 8-10 ft rope climbing
structure and a metal slide.
• Matted down carpet under all
structures (can be a sign of failure).
• St. Charles County says - no surface
temperature checks performed.
• St. Charles County is does not conduct
Gmax or HIC testing for their
playgrounds and have never done so,
past the initial installation. Only routine
playground inspections conducted.
• Question: How did a playground
inspection miss this?! It has been like
this for some time. Doesn’t happen
overnight!
Veterans Tribute Park:
3-Year-Old Surface!
Veterans Tribute Park:

Surface at Installation
https://playstlouis.blogspot.com/search?q=veterans+tribute Additional photos taken by Jill Schilling June 2022

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HARDNESS (INJURIES)
• ASET Services’ Paul Elliott conducts Gmax and HIC testing since 2009. • Out of the playgrounds ASET has serviced, only 1/20 playgrounds installed have Gmax and/or HIC tested at installation. ASET has only tested ONE PLAYGROUND as a follow up after initial installation!!!
• ASTM F1292 requires that a SURFACE meet either 200 Gmax or 1000 HIC. And the only way to know if the SURFACE meets the requirements is to test. Age of surface doesn’t matter.
• “...testing once per year is not likely to hold up in a liability court case. To ensure field safety, sports turf managers at all facility levels are advised to test throughout the season.”
https://asetservices.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/playground-safety-surface-performance.pdf https://www.stma.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Field-Hardness-Testing-STMAInstitute-logo.pdf

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HARDNESS (INJURIES)
• Elliott says his company charges around $500 per playground for Gmax or HIC testing. It’s very expensive to do 5-10 playgrounds or however many a city, school or park owns.
• Schools with synthetic turf athletic fields usually have a manufacturer warranty that if the school tests, manufacturer warrants that the field will test at a certain Gmax level (usually under 200) for that 10 yr period or whatever the warranty period is.
• Playgrounds DON’T GET A WARRANTY he says! No promises for playgrounds. • He also said they don’t want to test playgrounds because there are only three outcomes - good, bad and must be fixed or bad enough to shut down.

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

HARDNESS (INJURIES)
• And he says for playgrounds that fixing them is all up to the playground owner (city, school, county)! It’s too expensive to fix. They have to pay for it all on their own.
• He told me a typical synthetic turf playground costs around $50,000. That does not include the subbase and base work - leveling dirt, compacting and adding gravel or asphalt.
• I mentioned that I can’t tell if Veterans Tribute Park had a shock pad since I didn’t see anything but green carpet and straight dirt.
• He said that if there is no shock pad, a synthetic turf carpet would NOT PASS a 3 ft fall height.

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THE BAD SURFACES’ PROBLEMS:

NASTINESS
http://www.safehealthyplayingfields.org/the-problem-with-alternative-infills/ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/09/07/new-jersey-school-coxsacievirus/

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THE GOOD SURFACES
Nature Playscapes and Playgrounds Using Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF)

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THE GOOD SURFACES FOR

NATURE PLAYSCAPES
• Safe Accessibility Paths Surfacing
• Concrete (can also do wood/steel bridges, EWF like Forest Park Albrecht Nature Playscape)
• Why Concrete Accessibility Paths?
• “In-situ concrete (that is, concrete that is poured on-site) is one of the best options for accessible, long-lasting paths. Concrete surfaces are generally smooth, relatively nonslip, and have seams that are narrow and infrequent. • Concrete walkways require careful site preparation and on-site access for concrete delivery, so up-front costs can be high. However, they are long-lasting and require minimal maintenance. If you consider spreading the installation cost over the life of the walkway (which can be up to 50 years!), concrete may turn out to be an affordable option.”
https://kidsgardening.org/resources/designing-a-school-garden-designing-accessible-gardenpaths/#:~:text=However%2C%20they%20are%20long%2Dlasting,to%20be%20an%20affordable%20option

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THE GOOD SURFACES FOR

NATURE PLAYSCAPES
• Why Concrete Accessibility Paths?
• Durability – it lasts!
• “Concrete is typically a better surface for activities with wheels, like skateboarding and roller skating. Wheels can roll on short pile [synthetic] turf, like putting [synthetic] turf, but not as easily as they can roll on concrete. In addition, wheels regularly rolling across [synthetic] turf can wear it down more over time, and snag and pull on the [synthetic] turf, resulting in tears and damage to the [synthetic] turf.
• Low Cost
• Low Maintenance
https://turffactorydirect.com/2021/01/18/artificial-grass-vs-concrete-when-to-use-each/

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THE GOOD SURFACES FOR

TYPICAL PLAY EQUIPMENT
• Safe Accessibility Paths: Concrete and/or
EWF
• Fall Protection Surfacing
• Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) – 100%
virgin wood fiber, processed to a fibrous
consistency, randomly sized, maximum
length of 2 in. Safe. Not wood chips.

EWF is stamped/flattened; fibers knit
together to provide a surface springy
enough to cushion falls, yet firm enough
for wheelchairs. Another advantage:

Rainwater passes through, so kids can
play right after rain.

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THE GOOD SURFACES FOR

TYPICAL PLAY EQUIPMENT
• Why EWF for Fall Protection?
• ADA Compliant
• Minimal maintenance
• Cheapest
• Safest
• Positive for health and environment
• Good, easy choice
• Lead-free
• Cool
• Not chemically treated
• 15-25 year life (years of play in any weather
conditions)
• Drainage allows quick water removal and drying
• Used on 75% of playgrounds in U.S.
• Third-party certified by IPEMA for ASTM
standards, and meet ADA and CPSC
requirements
• Recommended by pediatricians at Mount Sinai
Children's Environmental Health Center

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THE GOOD SURFACES FOR

TYPICAL PLAY EQUIPMENT
• EWF ADA Compliance
• "6. Is Engineered Wood Fiber accessible? Engineered Wood Fiber meets the specifications of the ASTM F1951 Standard for Accessibility according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), provided there is proper drainage, are installed correctly and appropriately maintained."
• 2013 IPEMA Engineered Wood Fiber Accessibility Testing Debunks NCA Study:
• "The results of this preliminary study of EWF accessibility show that engineered wood fiber surfaces, when properly installed and maintained, offer a high level of compliance with ADAAG accessible route requirements, and one certainly much improved over that of the improperly installed EWF surfaces evaluated in the NCA study. The firmness and stability of the correctly installed and maintained EWF playgrounds, as measured with the rotational penetrometer, comfortably exceeded the performance values for acceptable firmness and stability."
http://ipema.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IPEMA-FAQ-Surfacing.pdf http://ipema.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/EWF-Accessibility-Report.pdf

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THE GOOD SURFACES FOR

TYPICAL PLAY EQUIPMENT
• Installation is key to everything! EWF can perform
with proper installation.
• Level the soil topped with geo textile fabric
• Install with adequate drainage and clean rock sub base • Followed with the EWF leveled and compacted in several layers to a depth of 16-18 inches
• Zeager has a lot of good information on installation
and EWF. They mention amongst other instructions,
that EWF should be installed in 6-inch layers and
compacted by wetting each layer, and using a
mechanical compactor or track loader to compact.
http://www.fibar.com/playgrounds/ewf.htm
http://www.fibar.com/aslaGreen/EWF_LEED_brochure.pdf
https://www.gametime.com/playground-surfacing/engineered-wood-fiber

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THE GOOD SURFACES FOR

TYPICAL PLAY EQUIPMENT
• Video of installation: https://youtu.be/FJ7gI3S-cCc
• Installation is so important; it is mentioned 99 times in this article! Also, remember that the 2013 IPEMA study shows that engineered wood fiber surfaces, when properly installed and maintained, offer a high level of compliance with ADAAG accessible route requirements. The NCA study mentioned in article below only looked at improperly installed EWF. INSTALLATION IS KEY! • Locally, Rockwood School District likes to get their EWF from Missouri Mulch, whom they found to have the cheapest price.
http://missourimulch.com/index.html
https://www.zeager.com/products/recreation/woodcarpet-system-1/ https://www.zeager.com/planning-resources/about-engineered-wood-fiber/ https://www.access-board.gov/attachments/article/1666/play-surfaces.pdf

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Page 72 of 247 ends

THE GOOD SURFACES FOR

TYPICAL PLAY EQUIPMENT

Page 73 of 247 ends

THE GOOD SURFACES FOR

TYPICAL PLAY EQUIPMENT

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THE GOOD SURFACES FOR

TYPICAL PLAY EQUIPMENT

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NATURE IS BEST!

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IDEAL PLAY ENVIRONMENTS
 The most ideal playgrounds for children are nature trails in our parks.

Playgrounds should be one step away from the trail. Nature playscapes are this exactly! Children need nature: fresh air to breathe and to be able to play, run, climb in an environment that meets their needs.They and their parents should leave refreshed and better than when they arrived.
 Fake surfaces can leave children physically injured: concussions, broken bones, 2nd-3rd degree burns, heat stroke and more from the toxic surfaces’ breakdown
 Nature playscapes are a destination space! Let’s bring that to Schroeder Park!

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Questions?

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From: Bonnie Walker
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - Item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Council Meeting Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026 7:36:22 PM
Dear Mayor Meadows and Council members,
I am writing to urgently request that the City Council ratify the recommendation made by the PARC commission on 9/15/26,
regarding the playground surface for the Shoup and Grant Park playground upgrades under the PlayCore (AKA GameTime) contract approved in Jan 2026. I urge you to direct City Staff to implement the upgrades accordingly.

The PARC Commission has recommended “EWF as the primary surface material for the renovations at both Shoup Park and Grant Park with supplemental mats in high fall / high traffic areas. No PIP surfacing will be included."
There is no sound reason to ignore the PARC Commission’s recommendation.

It is clear the Commission arrived at their recommendation after serious deliberation, upon hearing the working pair's research summary and recommendations, along with over 250 resident public comments and formal letters from GreenTown Los Altos, the Sierra Club's Loma Prieta Chapter, and Breathe California.

Let’s keep PIP out of our parks and keep them natural.

Thank you for giving this your serious consideration and doing the right thing.

Sincerely,
Bonnie Burdett Walker
Bonnie Burdett Walker
650.255.2714

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From: Badreddin Edris
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment: Item not on the Agenda for 9/22/2026 Council Meeting Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 5:03:19 AM
Dear Mayor Meadows and City Councilmembers,
I am writing to request that the City Council ratify the recommendation made by the PARC commission on 9/15/26, regarding the playground surface for the Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds upgrades under the PlayCore (AKA GameTime) contract approved in Jan 2026.

Please direct City Staff to act accordingly.

The PARC Commissions recommended “EWF as the primary surface material for the renovations at both Shoup Park and Grant Park with supplemental mats in high fall / high traffic areas. No PIP surfacing will be included." The commission arrived at the recommendation after serious deliberation, upon hearing the working pair's research summary and recommendations, along with over 250 resident public comments and formal letters from GreenTown Los Altos, the Sierra Club's Loma Prieta Chapter, and Breathe California.

I am a Los Altos resident (Ben Roe Drive) who frequently takes my two young children to both Grant Park (3-4 times per week) and Shoup Park (1-2 times per week) - in addition, I am PhD biomedical scientist deeply concerned about the potential for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals that can be released from PIP surfaces over time, which can cause myriad health problems. Further, PIP surfaces absorb massive amounts of thermal radiation, which can lead to burns on warmer days (a risk of increasing relevance as our area continues to have hotter and hotter summers). I implore you to put the health and comfort of our children first, and to keep EWF as the primary surface for our parks.

Thank You,
Badreddin Edris
Ben Roe Drive, Los Altos
--
Badreddin Edris | 408.242.6184 | www.linkedin.com/in/bedris

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From: Bill Hough
To: Public Comment
Subject: public comment on item 4 on September 22 Los Altos City Council meeting agenda Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 10:09:30 AM
I object to item 4 on tonight's agenda.

This item's Staff Report was written by lawyers and is therefore impossible to understand, but this item is nothing but anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement virtue-signaling, in violation of the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause. The Supremacy Clause is a foundational provision in Article VI, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution that establishes the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties as the "supreme Law of the Land," overriding any conflicting state laws or constitutions.

This item is unconstitutional. Vote NO.

William Hough
Los Alto
Virus-free.www.avg.com

Page 81 of 247 ends

From: Linda Hutchins-Knowles
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - Item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Council Meeting Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 11:06:33 AM
Attachments: MOFSV logo.png
Dear Mayor Meadows and City Councilmembers,
I’m writing on behalf of Mothers Out Front Silicon Valley, a local nonprofit with members in Los Altos. We advocate for a healthy environment today and a livable climate tomorrow for all children.

We request that the City Council ratify the recommendation made by the PARC commission on September 15, 2026, regarding the playground surface for the Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds upgrades under the PlayCore (AKA GameTime) contract approved in Jan 2026.

Please direct City Staff to act accordingly.

Thank you for listening,
Linda Hutchins-Knowles
Co-founder & Team Coordinator
Mothers Out Front Silicon Valley

Page 82 of 247 ends

From: Michael Rizkalla
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - Item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Council Meeting Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 11:40:58 AM
Dear Mayor Meadows and City Councilmembers,
I am writing to request that the City Council ratify the recommendation made by the PARC commission on 9/15/26,
regarding the playground surface for the Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds upgrades under the PlayCore (AKA GameTime) contract approved in Jan 2026. Please direct City Staff to act accordingly.

Thank You,

Page 83 of 247 ends

From: Caroline Rumptz
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - Item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Council Meeting Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 12:37:35 PM
Dear Mayor Meadows and City Council members,
I was so pleased to hear that the City Council was reconsidering the use of plastic on playgrounds in Los Altos. Our children will certainly benefit from playing on natural surfaces!
I am writing to request that the City Council ratify the recommendation made by the PARC commission on 9/15/26,
regarding the playground surface for the Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds upgrades under the PlayCore (AKA GameTime) contract approved in Jan 2026. Please direct City Staff to act accordingly.

Thank You,
Caroline Rumptz

Page 84 of 247 ends

From: Erica Fischer-Colbrie
To: Public Comment
Subject: Stop adding random plastic everywhere
Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 3:31:39 PM
Dear Mayor Meadows and Councilmembers,
I am writing to request that the City Council ratify the recommendation made by the PARC commission on 9/15/26, regarding the playground surface for the Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds upgrades under the PlayCore (AKA GameTime) contract approved in Jan 2026. Please direct City Staff to act accordingly.

The PARC Commissions recommended “EWF as the primary surface material for the renovations at both Shoup Park and Grant Park with supplemental mats in high fall / high traffic areas. No PIP surfacing will be included." The commission arrived at the recommendation after serious deliberation, upon hearing the working pair's research summary and recommendations, along with over 250 resident public comments and formal letters from GreenTown Los Altos, the Sierra Club's Loma Prieta Chapter, and Breathe California.

We are happy with our existing natural materials!!! Stop adding plastic to things that don’t need to be fixed! & stop spending money on these projects that could be put towards projects we actually care about Thank You,
Erica Fischer-Colbrie, Los Altos resident

Page 85 of 247 ends

From: Laura Fay
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - Item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Council Meeting Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 4:41:38 PM
Attachments: protect-our-kids-keep-los-altos-parks-safe_signatures_202609200507.pdf PIP Objection Letters to Los Altos City Council - Spring 2026.pdf Dear Mayor Meadows and City Councilmembers,
Please direct City Staff to act on the 9/15/2026 PARC Commission's recommendation and the request of Los Altos residents, parents, grandparents and park neighbors, when finalizing the design on Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds.

In spring 2026, 65 persons penned letters to the City Council urging "Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds." (all letters attached) From Sep 2 through Sep 20, 245 persons signed a letter to the City Council stating; "I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds, and instead choose to retain the current Engineered-Wood-Fiber (EWF) surfaces or other natural alternatives," and "Please direct city staff to install play surfaces that have a less of a hazard profile as PIP." (full letter text, signors and their added comments attached)
Many additional residents have written to both the PARC Commission and this City Council, requesting the same outcome (refer to related Public Comments).

On 9/15/2026 The PARC Commissions recommended “EWF as the primary surface material for the renovations at both Shoup Park and Grant Park with supplemental mats in high fall / high traffic areas. No PIP surfacing will be included." Please don't feel compelled to cover nature with unnatural surfaces when there are natural solutions available today that meet the city's safety, accessibility, cost and environmental parameters.

Please direct City Staff to act on the 9/15/2026 PARC Commission's recommendation and the request of Los Altos residents, parents, grandparents and park neighbors, when finalizing the design on Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds
Sincerely,
Laura Fay
Los Altos 94024

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Los Altos City Council and PARC Commission,
245 people have signed a petition on Action Network telling you to PROTECT OUR KIDS.

KEEP LOS ALTOS PARKS SAFE.

Here is the petition they signed:

Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-In-Place playground surfaces.

I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds, and instead choose to retain the current Engineered-Wood-Fiber (EWF) surfaces or other natural alternatives.

I am particularly concerned about the extreme heat that PIP surfaces can reach in direct sunlight. A toddler in Colorado recently suffered second-degree burns after walking on a PIP playground surface on an 82°F day. We should not put Los Altos children at unnecessary burn risk in places where they play, or incur the possible liability exposure. (Reference: CBS News Playground Report: Toddler receives second-degree burns to feet from hot playground in Castle Rock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUJ8OZAcMMA)
I am also very concerned about the longer-term health and environmental questions surrounding PIP, including chemicals associated with recycled rubber, deterioration of the surface over time causing trip and other hazards, potential runoff and impacts to surrounding soil, vegetation and groundwater.

Los Altos should be choosing safe playground materials with our children's short term safety, their long-term health and our environment in mind, not simply what is easiest to install and maintain. There are safer natural play surfaces to choose from that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Our children will be living with the city’s choices for decades.

Please direct city staff to install play surfaces that have a less of a hazard profile as PIP, factoring both the short term and long-term health of our children, in addition to avoiding contamination of our drinking water and optimizing the health of our adjacent green spaces.

Our children deserve it.

You can view each petition signer and the comments they left you below.

Thank you,

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350 Silicon Valley

1. Cheryl Weiden (ZIP code: 94022-2327)

2. Laura Fay (ZIP code: 94024)
Please avoid PIP.

3. Peter Fay (ZIP code: 94024)

4. Andrea Wald (ZIP code: 94087)
PIP is not the right choice if one is concerned about the environment and health of all - especially children being exposed to harms at a young age. Please choose EWF - the natural and safer material.

5. Peter Landsberger (ZIP code: 94024)

6. Caroline Rumptz (ZIP code: 94022)
Please keep artificial substances off of children’s playgrounds!

7. Eric Rumptz (ZIP code: 94022)

8. Erika Tang (ZIP code: 94022)

9. Danny Morris (ZIP code: 94022)
This is bad for the environment, bad for budget, snd terrible for child development. There is no upside here.

10. Vijay Kori (ZIP code: 94024)

11. Mike Gardner (ZIP code: 94024)

12. Mary Ann Dewan (ZIP code: 94024)

13. Janet Harding (ZIP code: 94022)
PLEASE RECONSIDER your decision re the use of artificial turf on our public lands. These plastic materials have been demonstrated to be harmful to kids & also the environment .

14. JoAnne Estill (ZIP code: 94024)

15. Judith Whelan (ZIP code: 94024)
I am appalled and disgusted at the City of Los Altos planning on replacing the beautiful wood chips in the children’s play area at Shoup Park and Grant Park, and already have

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inatalled the toxic PIP (Poured in Place) rubber in 2 areas. I certainly would not want my own children or grandchildren playing in something so toxic and damaging to their health. My own children enjoyed Shoup Park many years ago. My grandchildren are grown with young families of their own and I certainly would NOT bring them to the Park with toxic PIP rubber. PLEASE DO NOT USE in our beautiful playgrounds!!! Judy (Judith) Whelan

16. Pat Marriott (ZIP code: 94024)
There's clear evidence this is extremely dangerous!

17. Bruce England (ZIP code: 94043)

18. Barbara Loebner Loebner (ZIP code: 94024)
Let’s find a better answer.

19. Melissa Smith (ZIP code: 94022)

20. Loretta M. Fennell (ZIP code: 94024)

21. Jennifer Keller (ZIP code: 94024)
Please only consider natural surfaces and keep parks safe for our kids!

22. Jarod Partlo (ZIP code: 94022)

23. Taylor Howell (ZIP code: 94022)

24. Inna Kupershmidt (ZIP code: 94024)
No pip in our parks. It’s hazardous and unsightly.

25. Shane Fay (ZIP code: 94024)

26. Portia Larentis (ZIP code: 94024)

27. t couture (ZIP code: 94024)
PLEASE do not be swayed by the environmentalists that say lawns are wasteful. Living plants help keep our town cool & children can play on lawns in hot weather.

There are NOT enough studies on poured in place rubber. We don't know the how long the rubber will last as it will breakdown and will constantly seep gases into our atmosphere. The rubber surface will get extremely hot and children will get hurt.

28. John Kehoe (ZIP code: 94085)
Please avoid covering more of our cities in synthetic playground surfaces or artificial turf.

Let's keep our natural areas natural.

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John Kehoe

29. Wendy Walleigh (ZIP code: 94024)
Please use again the Engineered -Wood-Fibers surface. Our children and city should not suffer PIP as an unhealthy option.

30. BARBARA ZIEROTH-HOFFMAN (ZIP code: 94022)

31. Michael Rizkalla (ZIP code: 94024)
It’s amazing that in today’s world we need to sign petitions to reject chemicals and use natural materials. But here we are. Why isn’t common sense taking the lead here?

32. Katherine Carpenter (ZIP code: 94024)

33. Caroline Jordan (ZIP code: 94024)

34. Paulina Bruce (ZIP code: 94024)

35. Eduard Keller (ZIP code: 94024)

36. Matt Mendoza (ZIP code: 94024)
Will attend town comments. Feel free to submit this comment under our name if and where appropriate: “We Los Altos residents and everyday, rain or shine users of Grant Park strongly oppose any rubberized surface where our children play. The existing mulch is a safer and more responsible choice than the proposed degradation to our kids’ safety.”

37. Sitara Holla (ZIP code: 94024)
We are not in favor of this change, it's not sustainable for the future of our children.

38. Nandini Moghe (ZIP code: 94024)
Poured-in-Place (PIP) surfaces are bonded using polyurethane binders that contain MDIbased isocyanate chemicals. According to manufacturer safety data sheets, these compounds are classified as skin and respiratory sensitizers that can cause allergic reactions, asthma-like symptoms, and organ damage from repeated exposure. Beyond these and other documented environmental hazards, PIP surfaces can reach outrageously high temperatures in warm weather, creating a severe burn risk for children.

These risks are not something we should take up, for the health and safety of the kids in our community.

39. Roger Heyder (ZIP code: 94022)
Looks like Los Altos has lost all common sense. Incapable of maintaining something lovely, only capable of embarking on a me-too endeavor that makes no sense. Similar to

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the street bollards which obstruct traffic and help nobody.

40. Magdalena Cabrera (ZIP code: 94306)

41. Shibani Shah (ZIP code: 94024)

42. Parth Shah (ZIP code: 94024)

43. Panduranga Bhat (ZIP code: 94024)

44. Lynn Khau Boucher (ZIP code: 94024)

45. Swati Agarwal (ZIP code: 94024)

46. Swapna Samant (ZIP code: 94024)

47. Aysha Khan (ZIP code: 94024)

48. Kathy Hanson (ZIP code: 94022)
Please don't use PIP for the playground.

49. Killian Fay (ZIP code: 95060)

50. Dieter Bruno (ZIP code: 94061)

51. Kristy Harrison (ZIP code: 94024)
Grant Park resident for over 10 years.

52. Candy Sohn (ZIP code: 94024)

53. JESSICA SCHAEFFER (ZIP code: 94024)

54. Veronique Bourdeau (ZIP code: 94024)

55. Serena Li (ZIP code: 94024)

56. Pegah Alavi (ZIP code: 94024)
Please do not expose our children and community to any more forever chemicals and micro plastics

57. Denise Twum (ZIP code: 94024)
Please leave the natural surface in place for the parks and children's play areas. PIP Is not safe and the convenience right now does not merit the health issues later.

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58. David Moore (ZIP code: 94024)

59. Nidhi Rani (ZIP code: 94024)
I don’t want our children to play on rubberized playground. Learn something from European nations like Netherlands. They try to preserve nature while keep safety in mind. Sand or wood chips for our playground. These materials promote sensory learning for very young children.

60. Didi huang (ZIP code: 94022)

61. Andris Ramans (ZIP code: 94024)

62. Rose Torreano (ZIP code: 94024)
Please keep our kids safe and healthy! Do not spend any money on installing this chemical product in any of our parks.

63. Kari Lam (ZIP code: 94024)

64. Maria Bautista (ZIP code: 94022)
I support a ban on the use of all synthetic surfaces in Los Altos public spaces.

65. Cheryl Herms (ZIP code: 94024)

66. Nyssa Kansal (ZIP code: 94022)
I am writing to strongly urge you to reject PIP playground surfaces on any Los Altos playground. Please direct the city staff and the PARC Commission to only consider natural surfaces.

I am a teenager who uses it regularly along with my younger brother, and have done so for years. It is a beautiful resource that I, and my neighbors appreciate for its natural setting and well maintained facilities, including the playgrounds.

I was dismayed to learn that the City’s preferred plan is to replace the current Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) surface with Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber as the playgrounds are upgraded.

PIP is a serious downgrade from the current playground surface. Natural play surfaces exist that avoid many of the health and environmental concerns associated with PIP.

67. Douglas Greiman (ZIP code: 94024-6908)

68. Clari Nolet (ZIP code: 94022)

69. Patrick Murphy (ZIP code: 94022)
We don't need more chemicals.

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70. Shelley Sinclair (ZIP code: 94022)
I visit these parks almost daily because they are more natural & Very special. Please don’t use toxic chemicals to redo these grounds.

71. Anju Makhija (ZIP code: 94024)

72. Katd Disney (ZIP code: 9402w)

73. Melissa Bai (ZIP code: 94022)

74. David Mariani (ZIP code: 94022)

75. Sarah Shreve (ZIP code: 94022)

76. Alice Mansell (ZIP code: 94024)

77. Annie Specker (ZIP code: 94022)

78. Bonnie Walker (ZIP code: 94022)
No more PIP. Please stick with EWF.

79. Anika Mathakari (ZIP code: 94024)

80. Terry Bush (ZIP code: 94022)

81. Pat Lang (ZIP code: 94022)

82. Joan Loney (ZIP code: 94024)
Please do not put the healthy development of our children’s sensitive bodily systems, and the healthy wellbeing of our park’s air, soil, flora, and fauna at risk from PIP materials. There are far better, natural, cost effective materials available for the higher good of everyone and the environment. Please no petroleum toxins on our playgrounds!! Leave things alone until we agree on a healthier alternative. The kids are doing fine the way things are.

83. Mary Mills (ZIP code: 94022)

84. SANDRA GOLDSTEIN (ZIP code: 94024)

85. Susan Huang (ZIP code: 94024)

86. Gita Nezamfar (ZIP code: 94024)

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87. Vshid Majidzadeh Bafar (ZIP code: 94024)

88. Jean Wolman (ZIP code: 94024)

89. Diane Stadlen (ZIP code: 94024)

90. Quinten Yearsley (ZIP code: 94022)
I'm a parent of kids at Gardner Bullis Elementary; we sometimes visit Shoup Park.

91. Becky Bell (ZIP code: 94024)
Why did the city council think the residents of our city would want this toxic option for our playgrounds. Who stands to gain from this?

92. Amy Bogart (ZIP code: 94024)
Strongly against non-natural materials!

93. Rick Evans (ZIP code: 94024)

94. Alicia Evans (ZIP code: 94024)
Our children’s health is top priority !

95. Jan Hustler (ZIP code: 94024)
Please keep our children and the environment safe by using bark instead of plastics.

96. Kurt Kuckein (ZIP code: 94022)
Environmental directions appear to be moving strongly against PiP Rubber. For full ADA compliance and ease of maintenance, the city should at least consider PiP Cork.

97. Robert Bartruff (ZIP code: 94024)
Natural fiber products should be the choice even with the higher maintenance costs.

98. Nancy Martin (ZIP code: 94024)
The cost is ridiculous, it’s terrible for the planet and even worse for our children. Los Altos prides itself on using natural products, so this goes against all that we stand for.

Our City maintenance department and City manager need to stop falling for these gimicky sales people selling the latest and greatest thing. They're sales people! They use fear tactics to sell their products. Fear of falling and law suits which is always a possibility anywhere (that’s why we have insurance) Bark has always sufficed and is the natural solution. NO chemicals!

99. Cindy Sidaris (ZIP code: 94022)
100. Maureen Griffin (ZIP code: 94022)

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101. KIM Hunter (ZIP code: 94024)
102. Vivien D’Andrea (ZIP code: 94022)
As a physician I am concerned about the toxic effects of PIP. We should stick to the more “natural” EWF that is safer and has worked well for the recent generation of kids. 103. Parikshit Sondhi (ZIP code: 94024)
104. Vinay Perneti (ZIP code: 94041)
105. Karen Shea-Daley (ZIP code: 94024)
106. Jamie Bindon (ZIP code: 94024)
107. Wendy Walleigh (ZIP code: 94024)
PIP as new playground material is going to harm children in multiple ways. Just read the vendor’s description of its content!
108. Linda White (ZIP code: 94024)
This type of surface has not been thoroughly tested. It is potentially toxic to our children and the environment. We do not benefit from covering up our natural lands with artificial surfaces. Please look into other alternatives for the safety of our children and the health of the environment.
109. Cindy Law (ZIP code: 94306)
110. April Anderson (ZIP code: 94024-6022)
111. Lalia Helmer (ZIP code: 94022)
112. Pawan Deshpande (ZIP code: 94022)
113. Megan Marwede (ZIP code: 94024)
114. Joan McNulty (ZIP code: 94022)
115. Li-Feng Chang (ZIP code: 94024)
116. Wenshan Liu (ZIP code: 94024)
117. Mary Theis (ZIP code: 94022)
It's 95 degrees outside today, in mid-September. With global warming, we need to increasingly plan for hotter temperatures. Unfortunately, heat impacts PIP rubber in

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several ways:

Increased Off-Gassing of Chemicals: High temperatures cause PIP rubber to off-gas other volatile compounds. Studies have found that heat triggers the release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), plasticizers, and other chemicals found in the recycled tire base layer. This off-gassing becomes noticeably more intense at temperatures above 77°F (25°C).

Extreme Surface Temperatures: PIP rubber absorbs and retains solar radiation remarkably well, especially dark colors. On a moderate 75°F day, the surface temperature of PIP rubber can skyrocket to over 140°F to 170°F (60°C to 76°C), posing a severe skin burn hazard to young children.

Accelerated Breakdown: Prolonged exposure to extreme heat and UV radiation causes the top wear layer of PIP rubber to degrade and become brittle over time. As it cracks or sheds, children can come into closer contact with the underlying tire crumb dust.

Please find a more natural option on which is safer for our children to play. 118. Nancy Sugimoto (ZIP code: 94022)
119. Namrata Gupta (ZIP code: 94022)
Do not replace natural bark with chemically processed products. We do not need to imitate other cities, we seem to be wasting a lot of money on unnecessary changes throughout the city, like our very visible signs outside the library & police station ὤ STOP
120. Yvonne Chu (ZIP code: 94024)
Renovate with the same safe Engineer Wood Fibers, NOT Poured in Place rubber in Los Altos Parks!
121. janet corrigan (ZIP code: 94022)
122. Julia Powell (ZIP code: 53562)
123. Andrea Colaco (ZIP code: 94022)
124. David Andrews (ZIP code: 94024)
125. Eva Emerson (ZIP code: 94022)
please look for other alternatives!
126. Diane Gass (ZIP code: 94024)
127. Bettina Epp (ZIP code: 94024)
Keep our kids safe and healthy! Use natural materials only!!!

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128. Brian Tully (ZIP code: 94024)
I have a 3 year old and take her to all the local parks regularly. We live walking distance to Grant Park and go there the most. While we haven't always spent time in the playground, we have gone to the park regularly for 13 years. I understand why so many parks use PIP and that it is trending, but long term, it is not "better". It definitely emits a smell. When it breaks down, it looks like microplastic trash central, and doesn't get repaired. My first thought when I heard Grant Park was set to get their wood fibers replaced with this was, "Please, no". I live in the neighborhood and 100% prefer the far more natural wood/sand setup. As for fall protection, I discovered this first hand the other day. My 3 year old is learning to climb and trying to climb everything. She slipped off a playground ladder and tested the wood fiber/sand ability to break her fall. To my genuine surprise, she was 100% okay. Not even a single ouchie. The natural Grant Park setup is tried and true and has withstood the test of time. In fact, the only issues have been with rubber/plastic components, like the red climbing tubes or nets that have fallen apart and degraded over time - ultimately to be removed without replacement in some cases - a legitimate playground hazard because now kids can freefall. Imagine if the entire floor was like that. No thank you. I sincerely appreciate your consideration. 129. Simran Gupta (ZIP code: 94022)
130. Patricia Evans (ZIP code: 94022)
131. Florence Lin (ZIP code: 94024)
132. Janet Vassar (ZIP code: 94024)
PLEASE stop using PIP in our parks and playgrounds. Restore with EWF when needed.

There is no reason to use toxic chemicals when environmentally-friendly options exist.

Thank you!
133. Mary Tabor (ZIP code: 94041)
134. Ronni Sharpe (ZIP code: 94041)
135. PRAVEEN KUMAR (ZIP code: 94024)
Don't do it. Leave the natural wood fibers alone.
136. Lianne Thompson (ZIP code: 94024)
137. Erica Fischer-Colbrie (ZIP code: 94024)
138. Jim Alsup (ZIP code: 94024)
Please don't pollute our playgrounds and outdoor exercise areas. 139. Judy Chen (ZIP code: 95024)

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140. Donna Songer (ZIP code: 94040)
Not only Los Altos, but everywhere. I’m sick of chemicals being used everywhere. STOP! 141. Jeny Ginsberg (ZIP code: 94024)
142. Carol Ovelman (ZIP code: 94024)
143. Lonnie Gary (ZIP code: 94043-4112)
Protect our kids from artificial turf and poured in place rubber surfaces. 144. Jenny Yip (ZIP code: 94024)
145. Megan Noice (ZIP code: 94306)
This kind of rubber is both an environmental hazard and genuinely too hot for little feet and hands!
146. Sudhir Arora (ZIP code: 94024)
147. Kinjal Gavadiya (ZIP code: 94024-6224)
148. Maitreyi Roy (ZIP code: 94024)
149. Priyanka Aggarwal (ZIP code: 94024)
150. Smriti Talwar (ZIP code: 94024)
No more PIP
151. Ana Jackson (ZIP code: 94024)
Poured in place rubber will be too hot in the summer. Please choose a more environmentally friendly surface for our park playgrounds. 152. Yvonne Nachtigall (ZIP code: 94024)
153. Audrey Lanzalaco (ZIP code: 94024)
In many countries they are doing the opposite replacing playground with plastic PIP with woods. It has been proven that it has reduced many allergies for kids 154. Kristina Stewart (ZIP code: 94024)
155. Milena D Santos (ZIP code: 94024)
We need good playgrounds for the kids healthy overall.

Viable natural surface alternatives to PIP exist that are safe, ADA compliant and environmentally friendly.

There’s no compelling reason to resurface with a hazardous petro chemical product.

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156. Jennifer Lee (ZIP code: 94024)
157. Emma Nakamoto (ZIP code: 94024)
158. P M (ZIP code: 94024)
159. Twisha Shah (ZIP code: 94024)
160. V Chulamorkodt (ZIP code: 94024)
161. Jayanti Sharma (ZIP code: 94024)
162. Elizabeth Cohan (ZIP code: 94024)
No toxic PIP on our playgrounds!
163. Ka Shing Chu (ZIP code: 94024)
164. Harsha Sabbineni (ZIP code: 95051)
165. Roopa Sirohi (ZIP code: 94024)
Are kids & dogs playing in that environment would request relieve the woodchips as they are
166. Reto Egeter (ZIP code: 94024)
167. Tami Mulcahy (ZIP code: 94022)
On so many levels, using PIP is wrong. Our world already exposures our kids to a boatload of toxins. It is criminal that we would purposely expose them to more. If anything, Los Altos should go the opposite direction toward nature based parks, which, in addition is in keeping with the vibe of Los Altos.

People go to green spaces for serenity. Don’t un green them!!! Nothing replaces natural products. And the planet needs us to keep it natural.

As for the justification that PIP uses recycled products, omg! Recycling a product like tires that are now made with a lot of plastic and the chemicals contained in them, is simply giving that product another life, another chance, to expose us to the toxicity. In this case that exposure is to children who are the most biologically affected by that exposure.

Keep it natural Los Altos!
168. Steve Headley (ZIP code: 94024)
Keep parks safe
169. Bruce Hansen (ZIP code: 94022-3531)
fully agree with the need to use wood chips.

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170. David Jeng (ZIP code: 94024)
We don’t need more micro plastics
171. Sylvia Tsai (ZIP code: 94041)
Stop PIP
172. Mike Demele (ZIP code: 94024)
173. Bonnie McGhee (ZIP code: 94025)
1925 churton ave
174. Lawrence ackner (ZIP code: 94024)
175. Imran Qureshi (ZIP code: 94024)
Please don’t put plastics in the playground as it’s not bio degradable and also for a few weeks in summer when the temperatures spur past 90 degrees, it gets very hot 176. Kiana Leekamura (ZIP code: 94024)
177. Ashwin Bharambe (ZIP code: 94024)
The high temperature concerns are real and so is the destruction of the natural look of the playground.
178. Jill Ford (ZIP code: 94022)
Stop using materials that are toxic & harmful to the environment and children! 179. Vinod Madabushi (ZIP code: 94024)
180. Mark Werlich (ZIP code: 94024)
181. Cristina Woytowitz (ZIP code: 94024)
182. Connie Guglielmo (ZIP code: 94024)
I DO NOT want poured-in-place (PIP) rubber used in any playgrounds, dog parks or public land. Use natural surface materials ONLY (100%).
183. David Munoz (ZIP code: 94024)
Covering our clildren’s playground with petrochemical rubber serves noone. We’ve lived here for 26 years and the natural wood chip cover has worked fine. 184. Alexis Haman (ZIP code: 94024)
185. Emma Tweddell (ZIP code: 94024)

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186. SHREEPADMA VENUGOPALAN (ZIP code: 94024)
187. Taki Hiraoka (ZIP code: 94024)
188. Trina Oettinger (ZIP code: 94022)
Do not use PIP. Use natural surfaces.
189. Philip Oettinger (ZIP code: 94022)
190. Eric Chu (ZIP code: 94024)
191. shiri kadambi (ZIP code: 94022)
Should not use PIP in children playgrounds.
192. Zoe Hua (ZIP code: 94024)
193. Jane Holt (ZIP code: 94024)
194. Dan Mars (ZIP code: 94024)
195. Stacey Hiraoka (ZIP code: 94024)
196. Vivian Rollinger-Niemczura (ZIP code: 94041)
197. Connor Chu (ZIP code: 94024)
198. Amanda Steele (ZIP code: 94040)
199. Brion LaPointe (ZIP code: 94024)
Stop the PIP train!
200. Brent Smith (ZIP code: 94022)
201. Robert Hall (ZIP code: 94117)
202. Taylor Coccio Taylor (ZIP code: 94024)
URGING TO to Preserve Natural Playground Surfacing at Grant Park for our children 203. Sierra Bartruff (ZIP code: 94024)
Long time resident near Grant Park on Alford Ave
204. Anita Kapadia (ZIP code: 94024)

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205. Marilyn Pirofalo (ZIP code: 94924)
Not safe for children or the environment.
206. Laura Chicchi (ZIP code: 94024)
No PIP
207. Alexandra Diddams (ZIP code: 94040)
Please do not put artificial anything in this park! We love the way it is!! 208. Malavika Samak (ZIP code: 94024)
209. Kathleen Twomey (ZIP code: 94024)
210. Susan LaPointe (ZIP code: 94024)
211. Sharon Suerbach (ZIP code: 94022)
I have two grand children and we spend a lot of time at the local parks around Danville.

The parks with pore and play materials get so hot so early that we avoid these parks during the warm months.
212. Naveen Badrinath (ZIP code: 94024)
213. John Leddy (ZIP code: 94024)
214. Aileen Breslow (ZIP code: 94022)
No more toxic PIP! It is not safer and is will ruin the natural beauty of Los Altos. 215. Amanda Leong (ZIP code: 94024)
216. Karen Salzer (ZIP code: 94022)
217. Marianne Poblenz (ZIP code: 94024)
218. prachi panpalia (ZIP code: 94024)
219. David Duperrault (ZIP code: 94040)
The risks and costs of PIP outweigh the benefits. The PARC Commission studied the question carefully and got it right.
220. Carol Armitage (ZIP code: 94024)
221. Divya Mangotra (ZIP code: 94024)
For the Shoup and Grant park playground upgrades, please use Engineered Wood Fibers

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(EWF) as the primary surface material. No PIP rubber for known toxicity and burn danger in high heat.
222. Nicholas Soldner (ZIP code: 94022)
I support no PIP surfacing in playgrounds. Let’s keep them as natural as possible. 223. Anna marie Santora (ZIP code: 94024)
224. Badreddin Edris (ZIP code: 94024)
225. Kathleen Santora (ZIP code: 94022)
Please reconsider your choyof material at our parks.
226. Mark Santora (ZIP code: 94022)
227. Maria Lonergan (ZIP code: 94022)
228. An anonymous signer (ZIP code: 94024)

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 22:25:34 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are numerous health and environmental problems associated with Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber surfaces including, heat islands, injuries resulting from UV degradation, chemical exposure, chemical runoff into our groundwater, reduced soil moisture, increased adjacent vegetation stress.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Please direct city staff to install play surfaces that factor both the short-term AND long-term health of our children, in addition to avoiding contamination of our drinking water and optimizing the health of our adjacent green spaces.

Sincerely,
Tony Lu

Page 104 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 12:18:08 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Please direct city staff to install play surfaces that factor both the short term AND long-term health of our children, in addition to avoiding contamination of our drinking water and optimizing the health of our adjacent green spaces.

Sincerely,
Ingrid Espinosa

Page 105 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 12:47:05 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Vishal Pandya

Page 106 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 13:06:24 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Keller

Page 107 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 13:07:32 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I live right next to the park and my kids use it everyday. I DO NOT want my children exposed to forever chemicals.

I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Eduard Keller

Page 108 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 13:32:24 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Nadia Espinosa

Page 109 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 13:44:03 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install/maintain natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park We would prefer the current small wood chips or other natural materials be used at Grant Park and other parks within the City. Our kids and grandkids have used and enjoyed nearby Grant Park over the past 50 years through itâ€™s progressive changes which have utilized natural surfaces.

Sincerely,
Mike and Pat Cleary
Mike and Pat Cleary
1501 Elnora Court
Los Altos

Page 110 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:03:25 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Lynn Boucher

Page 111 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:07:21 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

I have lived in Los Altos for over 2 years now and my little kids use Grant Prank very regularly.

Sincerely,
Maitreyi Roy

Page 112 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:12:27 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I have two young children who love to go to both Grant and Shoup park â€” we go to each park several times per week.

As a Stanford-trained PhD in the biomedical sciences, I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Dr. Badreddin Edris
1658 Ben Roe Drive, Los Altos

Page 113 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:14:54 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Cynthia Verbitzky

Page 114 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:15:59 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces We have lived in the Grant Park area since 1975. Our kids and grandkids grew up enjoying the park. Please don’t ruin it by installing PIP playground material.

Sincerely,
Theresa Iantosca

Page 115 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:16:18 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Emily Chen

Page 116 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:16:39 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

I’m a parent of a 2.5 year old that lives in the Grant Park neighborhood and we play there daily. I do not want him exposed to toxic chemicals at the neighborhood playground.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Sumia Ibrahim

Page 117 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:21:33 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Sitara Holla

Page 118 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:30:58 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Wan Ching Chang

Page 119 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:39:40 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Russell Cohan

Page 120 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:40:02 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces We have lived in the Grant Park area since 1975. Our children and grandchildren have grown up using the park. Please don’t ruin it by installing PIP surfaces.

Thank you
Sincerely,
Theresa Iantosca

Page 121 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:44:11 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Tracy Cohan

Page 122 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:46:03 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Ken Wang

Page 123 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 14:52:52 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Dhruva Kashyap

Page 124 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 15:44:10 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Inna Kupershimdt

Page 125 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 16:32:41 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces We fully support the upgrade of our city however the choice to use PIP rubber at Shoup Park is alarming and there are safe alternatives available. We are sadly in an era where cancer rates in young people are soaring and these measures are vital in trying to reduce the toxicity we are exposing our kids to.

There is so much evidence all over the world that these rubber products are 100% proven harmful.

Please listen to the parents.

Stephanie Deck

Page 126 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 17:05:15 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Lisa Peterson

Page 127 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 17:12:29 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Kinjal Gavadiya

Page 128 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 17:47:25 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces We urge the City of Los Altos to prioritize natural playground surfaces and reconsider the use of poured-in-place (PIP) rubber at Shoup Park and in future park projects.

We live on University Avenue, just steps from Shoup Park, and care deeply about maintaining a safe, usable, and environmentally responsible space for families in our community.

There are well-established natural alternatives to PIP rubber, including engineered wood fiber (EWF) and cork-based products, that provide safe fall protection without the hazards associated with PIP rubber. These options are widely used, cost-effective, and align with a more natural park environment.

PIP rubber is typically made from recycled tire materials bound with polyurethane, which could expose our children to heavy metals, cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other hazardous â€œforever chemicals.â€ Exposure can occur through hand-to-mouth contact, dust inhalation, or chewing on debris. We want to bring our children to Shoup Park without worrying about the consequences to their health. Given the breadth of alternatives available, we hope you will choose one that doesnâ€™t pose a health risk to our young children that could last their entire lives.

PIP rubber surfaces can also reach extreme temperatures significantly higher than ambient air on sunny days, which limits usability and poses a burn risk for children on days the park is most likely to be busy. We walk Old Los Altos daily and we also wouldnâ€™t want our neighborhood impacted by the heat island this new surface would inevitably generate. Given how frequently Shoup Park is used during warm weather and given the potential effect on our neighborhood, please consider PIP rubberâ€™s heat retention in your decision.

We are concerned about long-term environmental impacts, as well. As these materials age and break down, they can release particulates that contaminate surrounding soil and run off into our limited water resources, including Adobe Creek. Natural playground surfaces are more compatible with soil health, permeability, vegetation, and clean ground water. Along with the adjacent Redwood Grove, Shoup Park is our most valued natural space in this beautiful neighborhood. Any improvements should enhance - not detract from - its environmental quality and long-term sustainability.

Page 129 of 247 ends

For these reasons, we respectfully implore city officials to prioritize natural surfacing materials that maintain our childrenâ€™s safety, their long-term well-being, and the health of our environment.

Sincerely,
Jarod Partlo & Taylor Howell
565 University Avenue

Page 130 of 247 ends

2026-05-02 18:55:50 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces We have lived in the Grant Park area since 1975. Our chiyand grandchildren have grown up using Grant Park. Please do not install a PIP surface in the park. Don’t ruin the park for the children who live in this area.

Thank You
Sincerely,
Theresa Iay Iantosca

Page 131 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 19:15:40 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely, Annette Graff

Page 132 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 19:56:31 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Monica T

Page 133 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 22:00:46 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I am concerned about the potential long-term impact of poured-in-place (PIP) rubber playground surfaces on Los Altos groundwater.

Groundwater is an important part of our local drinking water supply, and our community has water pumps and holding tanks located throughout residential neighborhoods. Because PIP surfaces contain recycled rubber and chemical binders, I believe the City should proceed cautiously and fully evaluate possible runoff and leaching impacts before installing these surfaces at Shoup and Grant Parks.

Once groundwater is contaminated, cleanup is extremely difficult and costly. Since safer alternative playground surfaces exist, including engineered wood fiber and cork-based materials, I urge the City Council to pause and carefully review the environmental and groundwater implications before moving forward.

Please prioritize the long-term health of our parks, soil, groundwater, and community.

Sincerely,
Cheryl Weiden

Page 134 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 09:29:01 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces My family lives near Grant Park. We have 3 kids, now 8, 10 and 12 years old that have grown up playing at Grant Park. Before starting school at Montclaire, they were there twice per day with grandma and we spent our Sundays at Shoup Park after church at St Nicks. I am deeply concerned since learning about the plan to replace the tan bark with rubber at both these parks. This rubber is very toxic and gets absorbed through the kidâ€™s skin and processed through the kidneys. What will end up in the creek? Especially as the rubber ages and breaks down?
I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Christa-Lynn Vampola

Page 135 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 11:01:48 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Kathy FitzGerald

Page 136 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 11:28:48 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Kristin Kado

Page 137 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 11:29:50 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces With so many disappointing, depressing leadership decisions being made right now, is Los Altos really going to pile on top and approve this synthetic installation over maintaining a natural ground cover in Shoup Park. Iâ€™ve lived on Orange Avenue for 30 years. Our kids grew up in Shoup Park on these playgrounds. It is heartbreaking to think that todayâ€™s City Council members would make such an unsafe, unhealthy choice for its people.

I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

Sincerely,
Jill Curcio

Page 138 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 13:09:24 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces Hi.

I live next to Grant Park. I've watched generations of kids play. My family, other people's families. Toddlers, children, teenagers, adults. And the thought of turning it into a chemical waste dump makes me shake with fury.

So ask yourself, what kind of person are you? Are you the kind of person that seeks to poison our children and our natural spaces? Are you filled with the callous disregard that seems so common today?
No, no you are not. I know you are not. So be better. Choose better. Do not pour cancer into our playgrounds.

If you want to talk to me more about this, by all means, stop by. I'd be absolutely delighted to discuss the matter.

Sincerely,
Douglas Greiman
1889 Grant Park Lane,
Los Altos, CA 94024

Page 139 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 21:05:53 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Shimol Shah

Page 140 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 21:51:13 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Shibani Shah

Page 141 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 23:29:13 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Jenna Moore
Lifetime resident of Los Altos and former PARC Commissioner

Page 142 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 23:32:50 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
David Moore
Thirteen year resident of Los Altos and father of two children who frequent Grant Park"

Page 143 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 23:33:14 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces My children love the amazing Grant Park, our neighborhood park. I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Jessica Lyall

Page 144 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 00:47:11 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces To Whom It May Concern:

I am physician and a father of 2 daughters who attend public elementary school in Los Altos, and we have lived adjacent to Grant Park for the past 9 years.

The playground surface at our parks should remain natural. Beyond the obvious environmental concerns regarding the manufacture, installation, and degradation of a synthetic surface from wear and weathering which should themselves be prohibitive, there is the simple discomfort â€” and potential danger â€” of playing on a hot artificial surface.

Our girls have practically grown up in Grant Park and have loved the nature aspect of the wood chips and sand at the playground. On countless occasions they have used the wood pieces as currency for their imaginary ice cream shops, or as cookies and crackers for their fantasy picnics, all while never having suffered any injury jumping and sliding into the ground. And all without our needing to worry about any unnecessarily additional microplastics exposure or excessively hot surfaces.

Like many of my other fellow parent neighbors are requesting, please direct city staff to install play surfaces that factor both the short term AND long-term health of our children, in addition to avoiding contamination of our drinking water and optimizing the health of our adjacent green spaces.

Sincerely,
Albert Luo, MD

Page 145 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 00:49:28 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Parth Shah

Page 146 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 09:39:33 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Aside from the environmental and health concerns, I don't want the City to spend money fixing problems that aren't there- the current play surfaces are fine. If the City wants to spend money on parks, please invest in newer playground equipment or repairs to what's there, added trees or benches, and ensuring that pathways are smooth and ADA-accessible.

Sincerely,
Katherine Winant Carpenter
Resident since childhood in 1985, now raising my own kids here!"

Page 147 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 09:44:56 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Smidth Panchamia

Page 148 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 15:35:03 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Daryl Shafran

Page 149 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 15:38:13 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Mike Shafran

Page 150 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 22:21:21 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Rahul Bammi

Page 151 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 22:22:21 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces Think about our children’s future. Keep the tan bark!!
I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely, Kuo Lu

Page 152 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 22:23:46 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Cindy Lu

Page 153 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 22:45:10 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Ashley Lu

Page 154 of 247 ends

Time Stamp: 2026-05-04 23:47:15 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I have two young kids who use the park everyday. We stay right across the street from the park, and the park was one of the reasons for us purchasing our home.

I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Padmini Jaikumar

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-05 00:11:30 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces My daughter loves to play at parks and we often go to Grant Park.

I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Allison Brown

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-08 21:50:03 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Karen Rizkalla

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-08 21:50:44 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Michael Rizkalla

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-09 13:50:59 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

I have resided in Los Altos since 2011. Iâ€™m very concerned about forever chemicals on the playground on which my children play and the possibility of groundwater contamination.

Please reject PIP on our playgrounds.

Sincerely,
Florence Lin

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-24 23:13:17 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Bernard Parente

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-25 13:26:00 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Mattieu Gamache-Asselin

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 12:42:55 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Suparna Vashisht

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 02:49:32 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I'm the father of a twelve-year-old, lived in Los Altos for many years, and graduated from Los Altos High School. It's a wonderful and safe community that we often visit. It greatly concerns me that so many natural settings, including playing surfaces (playgrounds and athletic fields) for our youth, are being replaced with unsafe artificial materials that harm both human and environmental health.

I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
John McKenna

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 22:23:11 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Viviana Espinosa

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-01 20:58:48 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Robert Hall

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Time Stamp: 2026-04-28 19:24:33 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Jim Loveland

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-03 20:30:00 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces When my children were little, we gathered each week with a group of other mothers and children at Shoup Park. The kids loved the big grassy field and the creek running along the edge of the park. This time in nature was priceless, as my kids were visibly calmer and happier after a day playing in the grassy park and playground, and I could relax knowing they weren't being exposed to toxic chemicals and were breathing in clean, healthy air.

So I was horrified to learn that the City of Los Altos is considering installing toxic, off-gasing and very hot Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber at Shoup and Grant park playgrouds.

I urge the Mayor and City Councilmembers to reject this proposal, and insist that ALL city park playgrounds are updated only with natural play surfaces, such as Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) or Corkeen.

There are numerous health and environmental problems associated with Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber surfaces including: heat islands, injuries resulting from UV degradation, chemical exposure, chemical runoff into our groundwater, reduced soil moisture, increased adjacent vegetation stress.

Natural play surfaces like EWF and Corkeen are much safer since they don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Therefore, as a mother, I ask that you direct city staff to install play surfaces that factor both the short term AND long-term health of our children. Please also act to avoid contamination of Los Altos' drinking water and instead optimize the health of adjacent green spaces.

Sincerely,
Linda Hutchins-Knowles

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 08:07:15 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I’ve written and made public comments many times to city council and various commissions in Los Altos and actually locally in the Bay Area and across the US.

I, once again, am urging that Los Altos do the right thing for the environment and the health of not only your kids but the planet and the rest of us, to install natural surfaces and reject Pouredin-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

By now Iâ€™m certain you are aware of all the harms this petrochemical product is being linked to - not to mention it gets unbearably hot and is not recyclable.

Please stay with the current surface that has been used not only in Los Altos parks but many others around the Bay Area and beyond - Engineered Wood Fiber.

Please direct city staff to not allow anymore PIP into your parks and playgrounds.

Sincerely,
Andrea Wald
Co-Founder, Community for Natural Play Surfaces

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Time Stamp: 2026-05-02 18:28:19 ET
Subject: Please protect our children's health and oppose Poured-in-Place playground surfaces I urge the city of Los Altos to install natural surfaces and reject Poured-in-Place (PIP) rubber in Shoup and Grant park playgrounds and in ALL city park playgrounds.

There are safer natural play surfaces (Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) and Corkeen) that don’t have the same hazard profile as PIP rubber.

Sincerely,
Valeria Faraci Sindra

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From: Maria Bautista
To: Public Comment
Subject: City Council 09 22 26 Public Comment: Items Not on the Agenda Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 6:00:25 PM
Dear City Council,
The Los Altos community and our visitors deserve to have the highest quality parks and open spaces. In our common spaces, we must hold ourselves to the highest level of environmental stewardship and use only materials that benefit our health and well being.

I urge you to ratify the PARC recommendation from September 15, 2026 regarding the playground surface for Shoup and Grants playgrounds that is part of planned equipment renovations. Please direct Staff to use only natural materials.

The PARC Commissions recommended “EWF as the primary surface material for the renovations at both Shoup Park and Grant Park with supplemental mats in high fall / high traffic areas. No PIP surfacing will be included." The commission arrived at the recommendation after serious research and deliberation, and with over 250 resident public comments and formal letters from GreenTown Los Altos, the Sierra Club's Loma Prieta Chapter, and Breathe California.

Furthermore, please consider that the PIP surface that was recently installed at the Hillview Exercise Area- after much community protest, now off gases and has an increased surface temperature on hot days that renders it almost unusable.

We must do better.

Thank You,
Maria Bautista

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From: Tanya Payyappilly
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment for 9/22/2026 City Council Meeting Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 8:45:19 PM
Attachments: image001.png
LosAltosCityBCTLetsupport_9.20.26.pdf
Dear Mayor Meadows and City Council members,
Please find attached this letter from Breathe California regarding the proposed recommendation by PARCs commission about the Shoup and Grant playgrounds.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you.

Warmly,
Tanya Payyappilly, MD, MPH
CEO
of the Bay Area, Golden Gate, and Central Coast
1469 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95126
Phone: (408) 998-5865 | Web: www.lungsrus.org
Breathe California is dedicated to fighting lung disease, advocating for clean air and promoting public health in our local communities.

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September 20, 2026
The Mayor and Los Altos City Council,
1 North San Antonio Road,
Los Altos, CA 94022
Re: Public Comment – Item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Council Meeting Dear Mayor Meadows and Councilmembers,
I am writing to request that the City Council ratify the recommendation made by the PARC Commission on 9/15/2026, regarding the playground surface for the Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds upgrades under the PlayCore (AKA GameTime) contract approved in January 2026. Our children and athletes should be playing on wellmaintained natural grass fields that do not risk their health, harm our environment, and contribute to the climate crisis.

Breathe California of the Bay Area, Golden Gate, and Central Coast is communitybased nonprofit that was founded in San Jose in 1911. Our mission: As the local clean air and healthy lungs leader, we fight lung disease in all its forms and work with our communities to protect lung health. We have worked for clean air for sixty of our 115 years of service and championed healthy policies for decades in the County. Now we are excited that the PARC Commissions recommended “EWF as the primary surface material for the renovations at both Parks with supplemental mats in high fall/high traffic areas. No PIP surfacing will be included.” This will tackle the troublesome source of pollution and emissions locally, that will also have a tremendous impact in other parts of Bay Area.

Artificial turf contributes to chemical runoff, microplastic pollution, and the heat island effect, all of which are harmful to human health. While natural grass helps recharge groundwater by letting water percolate through the turf, plastic synthetic grass leads to water runoff filled with microplastics and chemicals, including PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”. When it comes to children playing directly on poured-in-place (PIP) rubber, chemical exposure and intense heat absorption are two major environmental and health drawbacks. Unlike natural grass or wood mulch, solid rubber lacks ventilation and acts as a massive thermal sponge creating heat island.

Microplastics and chemicals have been linked to various potential negative health impacts, such as metabolic effects, developmental effects, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and respiratory issues. With children and athletes of all ages being exposed to artificial turf materials through inhalation, skin contact, and accidental ingestion, we must exercise caution in further exposing our community to plastic turf.

Additionally, the elevated surface temperatures that cause the heat island effect have the potential to damage equipment, burn skin, and increase the risk of heat-related illness.

Breathe California
of the Bay Area,
Golden Gate, and
Central Coast
1469 Park Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126
Phone: (408) 998-5865
Toll-Free: 1-877-3-BREATHE
Fax: (408) 998-0578
www.lungsrus.org
[email protected]
Tax ID#: 94-1156307

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chairperson
Amresh Prasad
Secretary
Joann Blessing-Moore, MD
Treasurer
Astha Sharma, PMP
Directors
Frank DeBiaso
Richard Stedman, APCO
Roslyn Bienenstock, RRT, MPH
Sulochina Lulla, MD
Terry Trumbull
Thomas M. Dailey, MD, FCCP
Tracy Richmond McKnight, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer
Tanya Payyappilly, MD, MPH
Deputy Executive Director
Margo Sidener, MS, CHES
A member of the
Breathe America ™
Alliance

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Children are even more vulnerable to extreme heat as they are less able to regulate their body temperature compared to adults. As climate change increases the number of days of extreme heat, playing time on artificial turf fields will have to be increasingly limited for the safety of players. Climate change is one of the greatest threats to our planet, with our community facing risks of rising temperatures, more frequent wildfires, and sea level rise.

Please consider in taking this meaningful step in reducing potential greenhouse gas emissions, cutting down on the demand for plastic/rubber, and preserving natural landscapes that sequester carbon by going with the recommendation.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Tanya Payyappilly, MD, MPH
CEO

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From: Stephen Dang
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - Item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Council Meeting Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 8:59:05 PM
Dear Mayor Meadows and Councilmembers,
As a resident of Los Altos, I am writing to request that the City Council ratify the recommendation made by the PARC commission on 9/15/26, regarding the playground surface for the Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds upgrades under the PlayCore (AKA GameTime) contract approved in Jan 2026. Please direct City Staff to act accordingly.

Thank You,
Stephen Dang

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From: Eduard Keller
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - Item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Council Meeting Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 11:18:13 PM
Dear Mayor Meadows and City Councilmembers,
I am writing to request that the City Council ratify the recommendation made by the PARC commission on 9/15/26,
regarding the playground surface for the Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds upgrades under the PlayCore (AKA GameTime) contract approved in Jan 2026. Please direct City Staff to act accordingly.

Thank You
Eduard B Keller
Email: [email protected]

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From: Veronique Bourdeau
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - Item not on the Agenda 9/22/2026 Council Meeting Date: Monday, September 21, 2026 10:37:18 AM
Dear Mayor Meadows and Councilmembers,
I am writing to request that the City Council ratify the recommendation made by the PARC commission on 9/15/26, regarding the playground surface for the Shoup and Grant Park playgrounds upgrades under the PlayCore (AKA GameTime) contract approved in Jan 2026. Please direct City Staff to act accordingly.

The PARC Commissions recommended “EWF as the primary surface material for the renovations at both Shoup Park and Grant Park with supplemental mats in high fall / high traffic areas. No PIP surfacing will be included." The commission arrived at the recommendation after serious deliberation, upon hearing the working pair's research summary and recommendations, along with over 250 resident public comments and formal letters from GreenTown Los Altos, the Sierra Club's Loma Prieta Chapter, and Breathe California.

Thank You,
Veronique

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From: Rajiv Bhateja
To: City Council; Public Comment
Cc: Cody Einfalt
Subject: Letter from Los Altos Hills City Council Re; JVAC Date: Monday, September 21, 2026 1:44:56 PM
Attachments: Letter of Support for JVAC 2026 Signed.pdf Honorable Mayor Meadows, Vice Mayor Lang, Councilmember Dailey and Councilmember Weinberg,
JVAC was recently discussed at the Los Altos Hills City Council meeting on September 17.

Please see the attached letter from the Los Altos Hills City on this topic.

You can see a recording of our discussion at:
https://losaltoshillsca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4624/media starting at 52:40.

Best regards,
Rajiv
Mayor
+1-408-796-1276

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26379 Fremont Road Los Altos Hills California 94022 Phone (650) 941-7222 Fax: 650/941-3160 September 18, 2026
Mayor Meadows and Members of the Los Altos City Council City of Los Altos
1 North San Antonio Road
Los Altos, CA 94022
Re: Los Altos–Los Altos Hills Joint Volunteer Awards Committee Dear Mayor Meadows and Members of the Los Altos City Council:

On behalf of the Los Altos Hills City Council, we are writing regarding the Los Altos–Los Altos Hills Joint Volunteer Awards Committee (JVAC) and the longstanding partnership between our two communities in recognizing the volunteers who contribute so much to Los Altos and Los Altos Hills.

For 43 years the Joint Volunteer Awards program has provided an opportunity for our communities to come together and recognize individuals whose service strengthens the community we share. The Los Altos Hills City Council continues to value that tradition and remains committed to supporting the recognition of volunteers from both communities.

We understand that there have been differing understandings regarding the recent transition and governance of JVAC. We do not believe those differences should overshadow the purpose of the committee or the longstanding relationship between our communities. Rather than revisit areas of disagreement, we would like to focus on finding a constructive path forward.

In that spirit, the Los Altos Hills City Council respectfully asks the Los Altos City Council to reconsider its decision not to participate in this year's joint volunteer recognition event.

Significant planning for the event has already occurred, and we believe continuing the joint event this year would send a positive message to the volunteers who have given their time and talents to our communities.

The Town remains willing to provide financial support for the joint event and to work cooperatively to address any remaining logistical or organizational matters necessary for it to proceed.

More broadly, we believe this is an opportunity to renew the communication and collaboration that have long characterized the relationship between Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. Our

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Page Two
Phone (650) 941-7222 Fax: 650/941-3160
communities share residents, institutions, organizations, businesses, friendships, and a long history of working together. There is far more that connects our communities than separates them.

We therefore welcome further communication in whatever format is mutually agreeable and most productive. Whether through representatives of our respective Councils, staff, JVAC members, or another approach acceptable to both communities, our goal is simply to reopen the dialogue, better understand one another's concerns, and identify a path forward.

We value our relationship with the City of Los Altos and hope we can approach this issue with a fresh start and a shared focus on what JVAC was created to accomplish: recognizing and celebrating the people who generously serve our communities.

We look forward to continuing the conversation.

Sincerely,
The Los Altos Hills City Council
Mayor Rajiv Bhateja
Vice Mayor Linda Swan
Councilmember George Tyson
Councilmember Stan Mok
Councilmember Kavita Tankha
26379 Fremont Road Los Altos Hills California 94022

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From: Eric Muller
To: Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment - 09/22/2026 City Council Meeting - Item 4, Interim Urgency Ordinace Date: Monday, September 21, 2026 2:07:01 PM
Dear Councilmembers,
I strongly disagree with the cruel and inhumane approach of the federal government on immigration. I welcome the adoption of the Interim Urgency Ordinance, and hopefully of a strong permanent Ordinance (or other mechanism), that clearly says "Los Altos residents do not consent to any part of this madness".

The wording of the Ordinance is by necessity highly technical, and I have no competence on that front. I trust that the Council and the City staff can understand my observations and turn them into practical actions if necessary. Needless to say, I'll be happy to clarify my observations if need be.

First, time is of the essence, and even if the Interim Urgency Ordinance can and should be improved, I favor the good today and the better tomorrow over the best next year. If we need to amend or adopt an additional ordinance at every council meeting, so be it.

Second, I see that the ordinance has limited exclusions for schools. I also read a couple of articles in The Guardian: "Trump officials sending undocumented children to Texas sparks fears of mass deportation" [1] on September 18, 2026, and "Trump ally Stephen Miller leads sweeping push to accelerate removal of migrant children" [2] on September 19. My worry is that while the ordinance may be effective for adults, the federal government could use euphemisms to characterize the treatment of children such that the ordinance does not apply.

Third, I see that the City of San José adopted a similar ordinance at its Septemeber 15 meeting AND directed staff to prepare an amendment to the ordinance. The meeting packet is not available, so I don't know how similar the San José and Los Altos ordinances are, but may the Los Altos one could benefit from a similar amendment.

Thanks for your work on this topic.

Eric Muller
Los Altos resident.
---
[1]
https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/18/trump-undocumented-childrentexas___.YXAzOmxvc2FsdG9zY2E6YTpvOmZmMTg1OTQ3Y2ViYWI1YjgyOTM1NDNkYzIwZmEwOWQ2Ojc6MWVmZTpjNTNmZWM4MzQ0NTljNjkwMDM3MDU0NDIxY2VkYjE5NmJhMDg1ZDU1NjBmMmY2YWU4MWUwMDM3MTQxNjViYTIzOnA6VDpO [2]
https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/19/stephen-miller-trump-migrantchildren___.YXAzOmxvc2FsdG9zY2E6YTpvOmZmMTg1OTQ3Y2ViYWI1YjgyOTM1NDNkYzIwZmEwOWQ2Ojc6NTc1Njo1NTIxOTAzNjZlOTVjYzgzODJlYzA3ZDFjMWYxNjJkYWIyMzgyZjFiOWZiYWViZDcwMzRhNTRlZTRmNGEyNTNmOnA6VDpO

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CITY OF LOS ALTOS

CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL

MEETING MINUTES
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2026
6:00 p.m.
1 N. San Antonio Rd. ~ Los Altos, CA
Sally Meadows,, Mayor
Larry Lang, Vice Mayor
Pete Dailey, Councilmember
Jonathan D. Weinberg, Councilmember
CALL MEETING TO ORDER – Sally Meadows, Mayor, called the special meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

ESTABLISH QUORUM – All Councilmembers were present.

STUDY SESSION

1. Below Market Rate For-Sale and Rental Housing Guidelines Provide feedback and direction to staff regarding the draft Below Market Rate (“BMR”) For-Sale and Rental Housing Guidelines
Monica Gallardo-Melkesian, Housing Manager, presented the report.

The following members of the public spoke regarding the item:
• Eric Steinle
• Sue Russell
• Anne Paulson
Discussion item only. No motion taken.

ADJOURNMENT – The special meeting adjourned at 6:56 p.m.

The meeting minutes were prepared by Melissa Thurman, City Clerk, for approval at the regular meeting on September 22, 2026.
_________________________________ __________________________________ Sally Meadows Melissa Thurman, MMC
Mayor City Clerk
The September 8, 2026, City Council meeting recording may be viewed via the following external website: https://www.youtube.com/@CityofLosAltosCA The City of Los Altos does not own or operate YouTube. The video referenced in these minutes was live at the time the minutes were published.

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CITY OF LOS ALTOS

CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2026
7:00 p.m.
1 N. San Antonio Rd. ~ Los Altos, CA
Sally Meadows, Mayor
Larry Lang, Vice Mayor
Pete Dailey, Councilmember
Jonathan D. Weinberg, Councilmember
CALL MEETING TO ORDER – Sally Meadows, Mayor, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

ESTABLISH QUORUM – All Councilmembers were present.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – Jonathan D. Weinberg, Councilmember, led the Pledge of Allegiance.

REPORT ON CLOSED SESSION
There was no Closed Session meeting.

PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
The following members of the public spoke during Public Comment:
• Steve Larson • Laura Fay
• Andrea Wald • Laura Fay
• Edward Keller • Nyssa Kansal
• Anky van Deursen

CONSENT CALENDAR
Jonathan D. Weinberg, Councilmember, requested to pull Item 4 from the Consent Calendar.

Sally Meadows, Mayor, moved the item to be considered as the first Discussion Item of the agenda.

Motion by Lang and Second by Meadows to approve the Consent Calendar, excluding Item 4.

Motion carried unanimously by electronic vote.

1. Approval of Meeting Minutes – Draft Special and Regular Meeting of August 25, 2026

2. Adoption of Resolution - Revised Fiscal Year 2026/27 Pay Schedules Adopt a resolution approving revised Fiscal Year 2026/27 Pay Schedules for the Los Altos Municipal Employee Association (LAMEA), Los Altos Peace Officers' Association (POA), Unrepresented Management, and Unrepresented Professional and Confidential classifications

3. Adoption of Resolution - Amendment No. 4 with Bear Electrical Solutions, Inc.

Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 4 to the Maintenance Service Agreement with Bear Electrical Solutions, Inc. to increase the total agreement amount by $250,000

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City of Los Altos
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
September 8, 2026

Page 2 of 4 ends

4. This item was moved to a Discussion Item.

5. Acceptance Item - Investment Reports
Receive and file the City's Investment Portfolio Report for the quarter ending March 31, 2026

6. Formation of Subcommittee - City Manager Annual Performance Review Establish a subcommittee comprised of the Mayor and Vice Mayor to develop the process for the City Manager’s Annual Performance Review

7. Authorization to Vote - 2026-27 CalCities Peninsula Division Authorize the Mayor to cast a vote for the 2026-27 CalCities Peninsula Division Executive Board

8. Adoption of Resolution - Street Renaming
Adopt a resolution approving the renaming of Lee Street to Tubman Street in Los Altos

DISCUSSION ITEMS
Item 4 was moved from the Consent Calendar.

4. Adoption of Resolution - Joint Volunteer Awards Committee Changes Adopt a resolution to disband the Los Altos - Los Altos Hills Joint Volunteer Awards Committee and establish the Los Altos Volunteer Awards Committee The following members of the public spoke regarding the item:
• Linda Swan • Roger Burnell
• Stan Mok • Sandy Mingia
• George Tyson • Rajiv Bhateja
• Jean Mordo
The City Council discussed the item and directed staff to not proceed with the December Joint Volunteer Awards Committee event.

9. Citizen Initiative - Potential Impacts to Zoning
Receive the report and presentation
Stephanie Williams, Development Services Director, opened the item.

The following members of the public spoke regarding the item:
• Nancy Martin • Barbara Loebner
• Cindy Andrews • Alice Mansell

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City of Los Altos
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
September 8, 2026

Page 3 of 4 ends

The City Council took a recess at 9:40 p.m.

The City Council reconvened at 9:50 p.m.

Discussion item only. No motion taken.

10. Provide Direction - 2026 CalCities Resolution
Provide direction to Vice Mayor Lang, Primary Voting Delegate, and Councilmember Weinberg (Alternate Voting Delegate) on the 2026 Resolution packet for the CalCities Annual Conference
Melissa Thurman, City Clerk, opened the item.

The following member of the public spoke regarding the item:
• Eric Steinle
Motion by Weinberg and Second by Meadows to direct Vice Mayor Lang, Primary Voting Delegate to vote No on the Resolution during the CalCities Annual Conference. Motion carried unanimously by electronic vote.

11. Discussion Item - Environmental Commission
Discuss the Environmental Commission and create a City Council Ad-Hoc Subcommittee, if necessary
Anthony Carnesecca, Deputy City Manager, presented the report.

There were no public speakers regarding the item.

Discussion item only. No motion taken.

COUNCIL/STAFF REPORTS AND DIRECTIONS ON FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Jonathan D. Weinberg, Councilmember – Requested a future agenda item:
o Re-appointment of Jonathan D. Weinberg to serve an additional two years on the VTA Group 2 Board (Unanimous Support)
ADJOURNMENT – The regular meeting adjourned at 10:50 p.m.

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City of Los Altos
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
September 8, 2026

Page 4 of 4 ends

The September 8, 2026, City Council meeting recording may be viewed via the following external website: https://www.youtube.com/@CityofLosAltosCA The City of Los Altos does not own or operate YouTube. The video referenced in these minutes was live at the time the minutes were published.

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City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: September 22, 2026
Prepared By: Jane Hou
Approved By: Gabe Engeland
Subject: Adoption of Resolution - Addendum No. 14 to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant Basic Agreement

COUNCIL PRIORITY AREA
Environmental Sustainability
Housing
General Government

RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute Addendum No.14 to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant Basic Agreement between the City of Palo Alto, the City of Mountain View, and the City of Los Altos

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Approval of this addendum is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because approval of a Line of Credit is a government funding mechanism or fiscal activity which does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment. CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(4). The individual capital improvement projects described in this report are exempt from CEQA review under section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines because they involve the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, or minor alteration to an existing facility with negligible or no expansion in use.

FISCAL IMPACT
Addendum No. 14 authorizes up to $31 million in project costs for multiple capital improvement projects at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP), including Headworks, Outfall, and other critical infrastructure improvements, as shown in Table 1. These costs will be shared among partner agencies based on ownership capacity. The City of Los Altos' estimated share of the currently authorized project costs is $2,935,700, as summarized in Table 1. This amount represents Los Altos' estimated share of authorized project costs and does not include financing costs associated with the Line of Credit (LOC).

Table 1: Additional Capital (cash or LOC) for Initial Projects Projects /
Contribution
Estimated
Cost
MV Cash Remaining Palo Alto Los Altos EPASD Los Altos
Hills
Stan
% Share 37.89% 62.11% 38.16% 9.47% 7.64% 1.58% 5.26
Headworks Design$18,000,000$6,820,200 $11,179,800 $6,868,800 $1,704,600 $1,375,200 $284,400 $946 Outfall Design $1,000,000 $378,900 $621,100 $381,600 $94,700 $76,400 $15,800 $52,

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Source: RWQCP Annual Partners September Meeting (September 2, 2026) To support project cash flow needs, Palo Alto will establish a Line of Credit (LOC) as an interim financing mechanism. The LOC has a five-year term and will function as a revolving credit facility, allowing funds to be drawn as needed to fund authorized project expenditures.

During the five-year term, partner agencies will be responsible primarily for interest and financing costs on drawn amounts, rather than immediate repayment of principal. As shown in Table 2, Los Altos’ estimated annual financing cost is approximately $128,000 under the taxexempt scenario.

At the end of the five-year term, any outstanding principal balance may either be repaid or converted into a longer-term financing mechanism, such as utility revenue bonds during which time principal repayment would be amortized along with interest payments.

Table 2: Estimated Annual Partner Cost (in thousands)
Partner Tax-Exempt Taxable
Palo Alto $516 $602
Mt. View n/a n/a
Los Altos $128 $149
EPASD $103 $121
Stanford $72 $83
L.A. Hills $21 $25
TOTAL $840 $980
Source: City of Palo Alto Staff Report (May 18, 2026)
Actual costs will vary depending on the timing and amount of draws, interest rates, and final project expenditures. Mountain View has elected to fund its share of project costs with cash and will not participate in the Line of Credit.

Palo Alto will provide quarterly updates to the partner agencies regarding project expenditures and will maintain records of financing costs attributable to each draw on the LOC. These updates will assist participating agencies in tracking project spending and financing obligations throughout the program. Funding for these costs will be incorporated into the Sewer Enterprise Fund through future budget actions.

The Line of Credit (LOC) is intended as an interim financing tool to support near-term capital expenditures and provide flexibility in managing project cash flow. The LOC is structured with a five-year term and is not anticipated to be extended. Over the longer term, the RWQCP partners are evaluating alternative funding strategies, including the potential establishment of dedicated Gravity Sludge
Thickening
Rehabilitation
$10,000,000$3,789,000 $6,211,000 $3,816,000 $947,000 $764,000 $158,000 $526 Sludge Dewatering
and Loadout
Ventilation
Improvements
$1,000,000 $378,900 $621,100 $381,600 $94,700 $76,400 $15,800 $52, Digital O&M
Manual, P&IDs
and Plant GIS
System
$1,000,000 $378,900 $621,100 $381,600 $94,700 $76,400 $15,800 $52, Total $31,000,000$11,745,900 $19,254,100 $11,829,600 $2,935,700 $2,368,400 $489,800 $1,6

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capital reserves beginning around 2029. As such, the LOC is expected to be replaced by longerterm funding solutions, such as reserves or other financing mechanisms, based on project needs and partner agency agreements at that time.

PREVIOUS COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
• June 26, 2012 – Oral presentation from the City of Palo Alto regarding the Final Draft report of the Long-Range Facilities Plan for the RWQCP for informational purposes only.
• February 23, 2016 – Approval of Addendum 8 for the design of the Primary Sedimentation Tank Rehabilitation and Secondary Treatment Upgrades Projects. • May 26, 2020 – Approval of Addendum No. 10 for constructing the Primary Sedimentation Tank Rehabilitation Project.
• November 29, 2022 – Approval of Addendum No. 11 for constructing the Primary Sedimentation Tank Rehabilitation and the Secondary Treatment Upgrade Projects. • November 28, 2023 – Approval of Addendum No. 12 for the Acquisition, Construction, and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System
• October 14, 2025 – Approval of Addendum No. 13 for the Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System

BACKGROUND
The City of Palo Alto, in coordination with partner agencies, is advancing critical capital improvements at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant to maintain reliable wastewater service and regulatory compliance. Addendum No. 14 authorizes approximately $31 million in project costs and authorizes Palo Alto to establish and administer a Line of Credit to fund these improvements.

The RWQCP provides wastewater treatment services to multiple agencies, including Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, East Palo Alto Sanitary District, and Stanford University. Palo Alto owns and operates the facility and administers capital improvements under the 1968 Basic Agreement and subsequent addenda.

The facility is currently undergoing significant upgrades as part of a long-term capital improvement program driven by aging infrastructure, regulatory requirements, and system reliability needs.

Addendum No. 14 is part of this ongoing program and provides authorization for additional nearterm projects identified through ongoing planning and operational needs.

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ANALYSIS
Addendum No. 14 is required to authorize both the capital program and Palo Alto’s ability to secure and administer the Line of Credit on behalf of the partner agencies. The Addendum maintains the cost allocation methodology established under the Basic Agreement, whereby each partner agency pays its share of capital and financing costs in proportion to its ownership capacity in the Joint System.

Authorization of Capital Improvements
Addendum No. 14 authorizes up to $31 million in total project costs for a portfolio of capital improvements, including:

1. Headworks Facility Replacement (Design Phase) – $18 million

2. Outfall Improvements (Design and Potential Construction) – $1 million

3. Deferred Minor Capital Projects – $12 million, including:
• Sludge Thickener Rehabilitation
• Ventilation Improvements
• Plant Records Modernization

4. Emergency Projects – As needed to support continued plant operations.

These projects address aging infrastructure, improve operational reliability, and ensure continued compliance with regulatory requirements.

Authorization of Line of Credit (LOC) Financing
The Addendum authorizes the City of Palo Alto, as owner and operator of the RWQCP, to secure and administer a Line of Credit (LOC) in an amount sufficient to fund project costs on an interim basis.

The LOC provides several key benefits:
• Cash flow flexibility, allowing projects to proceed without delay • Ability to align project expenditures with the timing of long-term financing and partner agency reimbursements
• Efficient management of large, multi-year capital projects.

DISCUSSION
During the five-year Line of Credit (LOC) term, financing costs are primarily limited to interest on drawn amounts and associated fees, and partner agencies will be billed annually for their proportional share of these costs. At the end of the LOC term, any outstanding balance may either be repaid or converted into a separate financial mechanism, during which time principal repayment would be amortized along with interest payments.

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Accordingly, partner agencies, including Los Altos, will reimburse their proportional share of both ongoing interest costs during the LOC term and principal repayment once amortization begins. Palo Alto will be responsible for negotiating financing terms and administering the LOC, while partner agencies will reimburse their proportional share of costs through quarterly billings in accordance with the Basic Agreement.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Attachment 1 - Resolution

2. Attachment 2 - Addendum 14

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ATTACHMENT 1
RESOLUTION NO. 2026-__

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALTOS AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE ADDENDUM NO. 14 TO THE

REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL PLANT BASIC AGREEMENT BETWEEN

THE CITY OF PALO ALTO, THE CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW, AND THE CITY OF

LOS ALTOS FOR THE ACQUISITION, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE OF

THE JOINT SEWER SYSTEM
WHEREAS, the City of Palo Alto and the City of Los Altos have entered a Joint Sewer System Agreement and subsequent addenda No. 1 through No. 13; and WHEREAS, Addendum No. 14 to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant Basic Agreement authorizes up to approximately $31 million in capital improvement project costs, including headworks and outfall design, deferred minor capital projects, and emergency projects; and WHEREAS, Addendum No. 14 authorizes the City of Palo Alto, as owner and operator of the Regional Water Quality Control Plant, to secure and administer a Line of Credit to fund such improvements; and
WHEREAS, Addendum No. 14 maintains the existing cost allocation methodology among partner agencies based on their proportional ownership capacity in the Joint Sewer System; and WHEREAS, approval of Addendum No. 14 is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(4), and the underlying capital improvement projects are exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15301, as further described in the staff report;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Los Altos does hereby:

1. Finds that the foregoing recitals are true and correct.

2. Authorizes the City Manager to execute Addendum No. 14 to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant Basic Agreement between the cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Los Altos to authorize funding for capital improvements and participation in a Line of Credit to support implementation of such projects.

3. Authorizes the City Manager to take such further actions as may be necessary to implement the foregoing agreement.

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ATTACHMENT 1
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of a resolution passed and adopted by the City Council of the City of Los Altos at a meeting thereof on the 14th day of July 2026, by the following vote:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSTAIN:

ABSENT:
__________________________
Sally Meadows, MAYOR

ATTEST:
_________________________
Melissa Thurman, MMC

CITY CLERK

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ATTACHMENT 2
ADDENDUM NO. FOURTEEN TO THE BASIC AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF PALO

ALTO, THE CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW, AND THE CITY OF LOS ALTOS FOR THE

ACQUISITION, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF A JOINT SEWER SYSTEM This Addendum No. Fourteen (14) to the Basic Agreement for the Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System is made and entered into on TBD, 2026, by and among the CITY OF PALO ALTO (“Palo Alto”), the CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW (“Mountain View”), and the CITY OF LOS ALTOS (“Los Altos”) (individually, a “Party”, collectively, the “Parties”), all municipal corporations under the laws of the State of California.

RECITALS
A. The Parties have entered into that certain Basic Agreement Between the City of Palo Alto, the City of Mountain View and the City of Los Altos for the Acquisition, Construction, and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System, executed on October 10, 1968, as amended by the Addenda described below (collectively, the “Basic Agreement”). The Basic Agreement has been amended twelve times by addenda, as follows:

1. Addendum No. One (1) to Basic Agreement Between the Cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Los Altos for Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System, dated as of December 5, 1977;

2. Addendum No. Two (2) to Basic Agreement Between the Cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Los Altos for Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System dated as of January 14, 1980;

3. Addendum No. Three (3) to an Agreement By and Between the Cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Los Altos for Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System, dated as of April 9, 1985;

4. Addendum No. Four (4) to the Agreement By and Between the Cities of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Palo Alto as further amended and dated May 30, 1991;

5. Addendum No. Five (5) to Basic Agreement Between the Cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Los Altos for Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System, dated as of July 31, 1992;

6. Addendum No. Six (6) to Basic Agreement Between the City of Palo Alto, the City of Mountain View, and the City of Los Altos for Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System dated as of March 16, 1998;

7. Addendum No. Seven (7) to Basic Agreement Between the City of Palo Alto, the City of Mountain View, and the City of Los Altos for Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System dated as of April 15, 2009;

8. Addendum No. Eight (8) to the Basic Agreement between the City of Palo Alto, the City of Mountain View and the City of Los Altos for the Acquisition, Construction, and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System dated as of October 17, 2016;

9. Addendum No. Nine (9) to the Basic Agreement between the City of Palo Alto, the City of Mountain View and the City of Los Altos for the Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System dated March 4, 2019;

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ATTACHMENT 2

10. Addendum No. Ten (10) to the Basic Agreement between the City of Palo Alto, the City of Mountain View, and the City of Los Altos for the Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System dated May 17, 2021;

11. Addendum No. Eleven (11) to the Basic Agreement between the City of Palo Alto, the City of Mountain View, and the City of Los Altos for the Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System dated December 5, 2022;

12. Addendum No. Twelve (12) to the Basic Agreement between the City of Palo Alto, the City of Mountain View, and the City of Los Altos for the Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System dated December 11, 2023 (collectively, the “Addenda”).

13. Addendum No. Thirteen (13) to the Basic Agreement between the City of Palo Alto, the City of Mountain View, and the City of Los Altos for the Acquisition, Construction and Maintenance of a Joint Sewer System dated November 12, 2025 (collectively, the “Addenda”).

B. Palo Alto owns and operates the sanitary sewage treatment and disposal works and system (the “Joint System”) pursuant to the Basic Agreement and is responsible for making capital additions to the Joint System. Under the Basic Agreement, any major capital additions for the replacement of obsolete or worn-out units require an agreement by the Parties amending the Basic Agreement.

C. The Parties now desire to amend the Basic Agreement to approve the construction of certain capital additions and authorize Palo Alto to pursue and obtain financing to fund the costs of the capital additions described herein.

AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the terms, conditions and covenants set forth in this Addendum No. Fourteen (14), the Basic Agreement is hereby amended, as follows:

Section 1. Paragraph 45 is hereby added to the Basic Agreement to read, as follows:
“45. DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HEADWORKS

PROJECT, OUTFALL PROJECT, AND MINOR CAPITAL, AND EMERGENCY PROJECTS.
(a) Projects covered by this Addendum. Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Los Altos hereby approve the following projects (the “Projects”):
i. Headworks Project: Design services for the Headworks Facility Replacement Project, including preparation of bid-ready construction documents, coordination and approvals from applicable regulatory and permitting agencies, and engineer's opinions of probable construction cost (OPCC) at major project milestones.
ii. Outfall Project: Design services and potential construction for the Parallel Outfall Project and Existing Outfall Rehabilitation Project, including preparation of bid-ready construction documents, coordination and approvals

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ATTACHMENT 2
from applicable regulatory and permitting agencies, and engineer's opinions of probably construction cost at major project milestones, and related construction activities.
iii. Deferred minor capital projects including, but not limited to:

A. Sludge Thickener Rehabilitation design services and construction services, including preparation of bid-ready construction documents, coordination and approvals from applicable regulatory and permitting agencies, and engineer's opinions of probably construction cost at major project milestones, replacement of the instrumentation and controls, and repair of tank surfaces for the three in-service and for the one out-ofservice sludge thickeners.

B. Ventilation Improvements construction, including improvements to the loadout bay mechanical ventilation equipment at the Sludge Dewatering and Loadout Facility.

C. Plant Records Modernization Projects, including digitizing and rectifying the Plant’s process and instrumentation diagram drawings, creating a digital interactive operation and maintenance manual, and GIS mapping of plant facilities.
iv. Emergency projects: In response to, or to prevent, an infrastructure failure, the use of on-call engineering services, construction, and construction management services contracts required to maintain continuous, compliant, and safe operation of the plant at the discretion of the Plant Manager. (b) Project Costs authorized by this Addendum. The total Project Costs authorized by addendum is $31 million. Each Party shall pay its share of the Project Costs in proportion to the capacity it owns in the Joint System or portion thereof as shown in Exhibit “H” to Addendum No. Six to the Basic Agreement. As used in this Paragraph, the term “Project Costs” means all costs incurred in connection with the design, bidding, construction, and implementation of the Projects and shall include, but not be limited to: engineering and other consultants’ fees and costs; deposits, applicable permit fees; construction costs; all costs to apply for and secure necessary permits from all required regional, state, and federal agencies; plan check and inspection fees; startup, commissioning and initial maintenance; insurance; costs associated with financing costs, including issuance costs and interest; and legal and administrative expenses. The estimated amount of Project Costs for each of the projects is as follows:
i. Headworks Project: $18 million
ii. Outfall Project: $1 million
iii. Deferred minor capital projects: $12 million
A. Sludge Thickener Rehabilitation: $10 million
B. Other minor capital projects: $2 million

Emergency Projects are not assigned a separate estimated amount and may be undertaken as needed, with costs included within the total Project Costs authorized amount of $31 million.

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ATTACHMENT 2
(c) The Parties further agree that Palo Alto shall have the authority to manage project expenditures within the approved total amount of $31 million, including the authority to authorize individual expenditures consistent within each project’s budget; reappropriate funds among the project budgets; establish and adjust contingency reserves; approve additional expenditures funded from contingency reserves. Palo Alto will provide the Parties with quarterly updates on Project expenditures. (d) Financing and Payment of Project Costs by the Parties. The Parties authorize Palo Alto to obtain and administer a line of credit to fund the costs of the Projects. Palo Alto shall have full authority to negotiate the terms of the line of credit, including interest rate (fixed or variable), draw procedures, repayment terms, collateral requirements, covenants, and fees. Palo Alto’s payment obligations with respect to the line of credit will be evidenced by one or more notes. The Parties acknowledge that Palo Alto may obtain the line of credit in its own name, and the Parties agree to cooperate with Palo Alto's financing efforts, including by providing financial information and executing supporting resolutions as reasonably requested. Palo Alto shall maintain records of all financing costs attributable to each draw on the Line of Credit.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the City of Mountain View shall be excluded from participation in the line of credit and shall have no obligations or liabilities related to any line of credit entered into by Palo Alto. Mountain View agrees to pay its respective share of any Project Costs within thirty (30) business days of receipt of the quarterly billing statement sent by Palo Alto. Palo Alto shall not send more than one invoice in any thirty-day period. If a Party disputes the correctness of an invoice, it shall pay the invoice in full and the dispute shall be resolved after payment in accordance with Paragraph 19 of the Basic Agreement and shall not offset any payment due. Palo Alto shall invoice Mountain View for an initial payment in the amount of $2 million in the first quarterly billing statement issued after Palo Alto closes the proceedings to obtain the Line of Credit. For all subsequent billing statements, Palo Alto shall invoice Mountain View for its respective share of Project Costs.

Los Altos will pay their respective shares of any Project Costs within thirty (30) business days of receipt of the quarterly billing statement sent by Palo Alto. Palo Alto shall not send more than once invoice in any thirty day period. If a Party disputes the correctness of an invoice, it shall pay the invoice in full and the dispute shall be resolved after payment in accordance with Paragraph 19 of the Basic Agreement and shall not offset any payment due.
(e) Tax Covenants.
i. Definitions. The following definitions relate to the covenants set forth in Section (e)(ii):

A. “Bonds” mean obligations the interest on which is intended to be excluded from gross income under the Code, including bonds, notes, leases, credit agreements and other evidences of indebtedness.

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ATTACHMENT 2
B. "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as it may be amended from time to time, together with applicable proposed, temporary and final regulations promulgated, and applicable official public guidance published, under the Code.
ii. Tax Covenants
A. Private Activity Bond Limitation. The parties will assure that any portion of the Joint System financed by Bonds will not be so used as to cause the Bonds to satisfy the private business tests of section 141(b) of the Code or the private loan financing test of section 141(c) of the Code.

B. Federal Guarantee Prohibition. The parties will not take any action or permit or suffer any action to be taken if the result of such action would be to cause any of the Bonds to be "federally guaranteed" within the meaning of section 149(b) of the Code.

C. Maintenance of Tax-Exemption. The parties will take all actions necessary to assure the exclusion of interest on the Bonds from gross income under the Code.

D. Record Retention. The parties will retain their records related to the use of any portion of the Joint System financed by Bonds for least 3 years after the Bonds (including any refunding bonds) mature or are redeemed (whichever is earlier).

E. Certificates. In connection with the issuance of Bonds, the parties will execute documentation requested by Palo Alto's bond counsel as support for its opinion as to the exclusion of interest on the Bonds from gross income under the Code.”
Section 2. Except as modified herein, the Basic Agreement shall remain unchanged, and is hereby ratified and confirmed.
[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

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ATTACHMENT 2
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have by their duly authorized representatives executed this Addendum as of the date first written above.

SIGNATURE PAGE:

CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW
APPROVED:
__________________________ __________________________
Mayor Kimbra McCarthy, City Manager
__________________________ __________________________
Date Date
____________________________ ATTEST:

City Manager
__________________________
ATTEST: Heather Glaser, City Clerk
____________________________ APPROVED AS TO CONTENT:

City Clerk
__________________________
Jennifer Ng, Public Works Director
____________________________
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ____________________________
Date
____________________________
City Attorney or Designee FINANCIAL APPROVAL:

____________________________
Date ____________________________
Derek Rampone
Finance and Administrative Services Director
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
____________________________
Mitesh Bhakta
Senior Assistant City Attorney
____________________________
Date
//

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ATTACHMENT 2
//
//

CITY OF LOS ALTOS
BY:
____________________________
City Manager
Gabriel Engeland
____________________________
Date
ATTEST:
__________________________
City Clerk
Melissa Thurman, MMC
____________________________
Date
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
____________________________
City Attorney
Jolie Houston
____________________________
Date

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City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: September 22, 2026
Prepared By: Melissa Thurman
Approved By: Gabe Engeland
Subject: Authorize Appointment - Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board Member

COUNCIL PRIORITY AREA
General Government

RECOMMENDATION
Authorize Councilmember Jonathan D. Weinberg to serve an additional two years on the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board (Group 2), representing the north counties

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Not applicable.

FISCAL IMPACT
Not applicable.

PREVIOUS COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
Not applicable.

BACKGROUND
During the regular meeting of September 8, 2026, Councilmember Jonathan D. Weinberg requested a future agenda item authorizing his appointment to serve an additional two-year term on the VTA Board, representing the north counties. The request received unanimous support of the City Council.

Councilmember Weinberg currently serves as the Los Altos representative on the VTA Board.

ANALYSIS
Not applicable.

DISCUSSION
Not applicable.

ATTACHMENTS
None

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City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: September 22, 2026
Prepared By: Stephanie Williams
Approved By: Gabe Engeland
Subject: Adoption of Interim Urgency Ordinance - Detention or Custodial Facilities and Custodial Processing Facilities

COUNCIL PRIORITY AREA
General Government
Public Safety

RECOMMENDATION
Adopt an Interim Urgency Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Los Altos, to be read in title only further reading waived, establishing a temporary moratorium on the filing, acceptance, processing, or approval of applications for, and the establishment or operation of, detention or custodial detention facilities and custodial processing facilities pending study of appropriate zoning and land use regulations; and find the ordinance exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3)

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Adoption of this interim urgency ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), because it can be seen with certainty that the temporary moratorium, which preserves the status quo and does not authorize construction or development, has no possibility of causing a significant effect on the environment.

FISCAL IMPACT
Adoption and implementation of the proposed ordinance is not anticipated to have a fiscal impact on the City. The analysis of potential regulatory options, preparation of follow-up recommendations, and implementation of any future regulations would be performed by existing City Staff.

PREVIOUS COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
None.

BACKGROUND
A February 13, 2026 overview of ICE’s Detention Reengineering Initiative described a nationwide plan to expand and centralize detention capacity through eight large-scale detention centers, 16 regional processing centers, and the acquisition of 10 existing facilities, with activation targeted by November 30, 2026. Consistent with this effort, the Department of Homeland Security acquired the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego County and the

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California City Detention Facility in Kern County. These developments indicate a substantial federal expansion of detention capacity, including in California.

In June 2026, the State of California and Santa Clara County filed a lawsuit challenging a proposed immigration detention and processing facility on an approximately 25-acre site near Gilroy. The lawsuit claims that the federal government did not complete the required environmental review, coordinate with state and local agencies, follow the property’s land use restrictions, or provide enough information about the facility’s purpose, size, and capacity. On September 11, 2026, a federal judge temporarily stopped further construction and directed the parties to propose terms describing what work must remain on hold while the case continues.

Concerns raised regarding the Gilroy site include the conversion of protected agricultural land; effects on sensitive species and habitat; potential hazardous-material contamination; and impacts on roads, wastewater, drinking-water, and other infrastructure. Additional concerns include whether a facility characterized as an administrative office with short-term holding capacity could function as a de facto longer-term detention facility, potentially resulting in overcrowding, extended confinement, inadequate conditions, and increased demands on local services.

Congressman Liccardo has encouraged Bay Area jurisdictions to consider interim zoning controls, particularly where detention and processing facilities are not already expressly defined and regulated, given the possibility that federal agencies may pursue additional sites in Northern California. The recent court order temporarily halting construction at the proposed site near Gilroy heightens this concern because federal agencies may evaluate alternative locations in the region. Once a lease, option, or comparable site commitment is in place, a jurisdiction’s ability to adopt effective interim controls may be constrained. The City is therefore bringing forward this interim urgency ordinance to preserve the status quo while staff evaluates potential landuse, environmental, public-health, and safety impacts and develops options for permanent regulations through the regular public-review process.

Other Bay Area jurisdictions are similarly evaluating interim and permanent land-use controls.

The San José City Council is scheduled to consider such controls at its September 15, 2026 meeting.

ANALYSIS
Existing City Regulations
The City’s zoning code does not expressly identify detention or custodial detention facilities or custodial processing facilities as a land-use category. While the City’s permissive zoning structure generally prohibits uses not listed as permitted or conditionally permitted, the absence of a clear definition and classification creates uncertainty and the possibility that a proposal could be characterized under a broader use category before the City completes a comprehensive policy review.

Recent events show that, without appropriate land-use regulations, detention and processing proposals may advance on accelerated timelines and with limited notice to local governments.

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The construction of new or conversion of existing buildings or properties to detention or custodial detention facilities or custodial processing facilities have the potential to cause significant environmental impacts, strain local infrastructure, create zoning and land-use conflicts, and adversely affect public health, safety, and well-being. Without an interim moratorium, an application could be submitted and asserted to fall within an existing use classification before the City determines whether additional standards are necessary. The moratorium would provide a limited study period to evaluate possible approaches to use. The interim urgency ordinance would not predetermine the content of any permanent regulation. Its purpose is to preserve the status quo while staff completes the analysis and returns through the ordinary public-review process with options for Council consideration.

Interim Urgency Ordinance
Government Code Section 65858 authorizes the City Council to adopt an interim urgency ordinance when a current and immediate threat to public health, safety, or welfare exists, and approval of additional permits or entitlements would result in that threat. The proposed ordinance includes findings that, while the City studies the issues and develops appropriate regulations, allowing private property to be used for a detention or custodial detention facility or a custodial processing facility would create the public health, safety, and welfare risks described in the ordinance. A temporary moratorium is therefore necessary to preserve the status quo during the study period.

Covered Uses and Definitions
To prevent circumvention through terminology or a broader use classification, the ordinance defines a “covered use” as any detention or custodial detention facility or custodial processing facility, whether proposed as a principal, accessory, temporary, intermittent, or component use and regardless of the name used to characterize it.
• Detention or custodial detention facility: Any building, structure, property, or land used to confine, detain, hold, house, maintain custody of, or otherwise restrict the movement of one or more persons under governmental authority or an arrangement with a governmental entity, whether temporarily, overnight, or for a longer period. The definition includes jails, prisons, detention centers, holding or confinement facilities, correctional facilities, civil or immigration detention facilities, juvenile detention facilities, and substantially similar uses.
• Custodial processing facility: Any building, structure, property, or land used primarily to receive, admit, book, register, fingerprint, photograph, search, screen, interview, evaluate, classify, stage, transfer, transport, release, or otherwise process persons who are in custody or being taken into custody. The definition applies even if persons are held only temporarily, no overnight accommodations are provided, or the facility is described as an office, field office, intake center, reporting center, transfer center, transportation center, or similar use.
• Operator: Any public agency or private entity that owns, leases, manages, controls, staffs, funds, contracts for, or operates a covered use. • Person in custody: A person whose freedom of movement is restrained under actual or asserted governmental authority, including a person who is detained, confined, arrested,

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transported under restraint, required to remain at a facility, or not free to leave without authorization.

Temporary Moratorium
During the ordinance’s effective period, the City would not accept, process, deem complete, review, approve, or issue any application, permit, certificate of occupancy, business license, similar-use determination, or other approval for a covered use. No person or entity could establish, commence, locate, convert property to, expand, or operate a covered use within the City. A covered use could not be recharacterized as a governmental, professional, or administrative office; a public, quasi-public, institutional, emergency, or transportation use; or another broader classification to avoid the moratorium.

Limited Exclusions
The moratorium would not apply to routine law-enforcement activities, lawful restrictions incidental to medical or residential care, ordinary supervision in schools and childcare settings, offices or hearing locations without a custodial component, or transportation through the City that does not involve detention or processing within the City.

Study of Permanent Regulations
The City is studying this use and will bring forward land-use regulations governing the use, or a citywide prohibition in the near future. If the regular public-review process cannot be completed within the initial 45-day period, staff will return to the City Council to request an extension of the interim ordinance, as permitted by state law.

DISCUSSION
See Analsyis section.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Attachment 1 - Interim Urgency Ordinance

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ATTACHMENT 1
ORDINANCE NO. 2026-___

AN INTERIM URGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF

LOS ALTOS ESTABLISHING A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON THE FILING,

ACCEPTANCE, PROCESSING, OR APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS FOR, AND THE

ESTABLISHMENT OR OPERATION OF, DETENTION OR CUSTODIAL

DETENTION FACILITIES AND CUSTODIAL PROCESSING FACILITIES PENDING

STUDY OF APPROPRIATE ZONING AND LAND USE REGULATIONS
WHEREAS, The Department of Homeland Security “ICE Detention Reengineering Initiative” directive dated February 13, 2026, outlined the acquisition and development of eight large scale detention centers, sixteen processing sites, and the acquisition of ten turnkey facilities; the directive asserted ICE intended to have all facilities active by November 30, 2026; and WHEREAS, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stated that California detention centers are “crucial to ICE’s detention network on the West Coast,” and recently acquired two facilities in California, the Otay Mesa and California City facilities; and WHEREAS, Santa Clara County and the State of California have filed a lawsuit seeking to enjoin the Department of Homeland Security from constructing a detention or custodial detention facility outside of Gilroy that could hold up to 150 detainees, citing significant environmental impacts, improper zoning, and failure to cooperate with state and local governments; and WHEREAS, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California recently issued a preliminary injunction halting construction while the litigation proceeds, which may increase pressure on federal agencies and their contractors to identify additional or alternative sites elsewhere in the region; and
WHEREAS, detention or custodial detention facilities and custodial processing facilities may generate traffic associated with employees, service providers, transportation operations, visitors, intake, transfer, and release activities and may require local traffic management, emergency response, crowd management, or other municipal services during demonstrations, public gatherings, or facility-related incidents; and
WHEREAS, local municipalities have not been afforded the opportunity to evaluate issues surrounding detention or custodial detention facilities and custodial processing facilities and provide input, resulting in some local jurisdictions turning to litigation after development activity was already underway; and
WHEREAS, detention or custodial detention facilities and custodial processing facilities present land use and operational characteristics not expressly addressed by the City's existing zoning regulations, including security, emergency response, circulation, intake, release, transfer, infrastructure, access, and compatibility considerations; and

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ATTACHMENT 1
WHEREAS, the City of Los Altos needs time to analyze and determine how best to update its regulations to address the potential establishment or operation of detention or custodial detention facilities and custodial processing facilities; and
WHEREAS, because the City’s existing zoning regulations do not expressly classify or establish development and operational standards for detention or custodial detention facilities and custodial processing facilities, an application could be submitted or asserted to fall within a broader permitted or conditionally permitted use classification before the City completes its study; the processing or approval of such an application could establish or authorize a use without standards addressing its security, emergency-response, circulation, intake, release, transfer, infrastructure, access, and land-use compatibility characteristics; and WHEREAS, the City Council directs the City Manager, or designee, to study contemplated amendments to the City’s zoning regulations addressing detention or custodial detention facilities and custodial processing facilities, including possible definitions, use classifications, locational standards, development and operational standards, discretionary review requirements, or a citywide prohibition, and intends that this study be completed within a reasonable time; and WHEREAS, Government Code Section 65858 authorizes a city, by a four-fifths vote, to adopt a 45-day interim urgency ordinance prohibiting uses that may conflict with a zoning proposal the City is studying or intends to study within a reasonable time; and WHEREAS, the City Council intends this interim urgency ordinance only to preserve the status quo during the study period and not to determine the substance of the permanent regulations, if any, that may later be considered through the ordinary public review process.

NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALTOS DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. Recitals and Findings.

The City Council finds, pursuant to Government Code Section 65858 that the facts set forth in the recitals establish a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety, and welfare, and that without a moratorium prohibiting use of private property as a detention or custodial detention facility or custodial processing facility while these issues and concerns are being examined and appropriate regulations are being developed, there remains a current and immediate threat that the use of private property as a detention or custodial detention facility or custodial processing facility will result in the public health, safety and welfare harms described herein.

SECTION 2. Definitions.

For purposes of this interim urgency ordinance, a “covered use” means any detention or custodial detention facility or custodial processing facility, whether proposed as a principal, accessory, temporary, intermittent, or component use and regardless of the name used to characterize it.

A. “Detention or custodial detention facility” means any building, structure, portion of a building or structure, property, or land used or intended to be used to confine, detain, hold,

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ATTACHMENT 1
house, maintain custody of, or otherwise restrict the freedom of movement of one or more persons under governmental authority or pursuant to a contract or other arrangement with a governmental entity, whether on a temporary, short-term, overnight, or longer-term basis.

A detention or custodial detention facility includes, but is not limited to, a jail, prison, detention center, detention facility, holding facility, confinement facility, correctional facility, civil detention facility, immigration detention facility, juvenile detention facility, temporary holding facility, or other substantially similar use, regardless of the name or terminology used to describe the facility.

B. “Custodial processing facility” means any building, structure, portion of a building or structure, property, or land used or intended to be used primarily for one or more of the following activities:

1. Receiving, admitting, booking, registering, fingerprinting, photographing, searching, screening, interviewing, evaluating, or classifying persons who are in custody or are being taken into custody;

2. Determining the detention, release, transfer, placement, transportation, removal, or custodial status of persons;

3. Temporarily holding, staging, assembling, or maintaining custody of persons before or after transport, transfer, release, adjudication, or placement; or

4. Coordinating, directing, dispatching, or administering custodial intake, detention, confinement, transportation, transfer, or release operations from the premises.

A custodial processing facility includes a facility that conducts the described activities even if persons are held only temporarily, the facility does not provide overnight accommodations, or the operator characterizes the facility as an office, administrative office, field office, intake center, processing center, reporting center, transfer center, transportation center, or other similar use.

C. “Operator” means any public agency, private person, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, nonprofit organization, contractor, subcontractor, or other entity that owns, leases, manages, controls, staffs, funds, contracts for, or operates a detention or custodial detention facility or custodial processing facility.

D. “Person in custody” means a person whose freedom of movement is restrained under actual or asserted governmental authority, including a person who is detained, confined, arrested, transported under restraint, required to remain at a facility, or not free to leave the facility without authorization.

SECTION 3. Temporary Moratorium.

During the effective period of this interim urgency ordinance:

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ATTACHMENT 1
A. No application, request, or other submittal for a covered use shall be filed with or accepted by the City.

B. The City shall not process, deem complete, review, act upon, approve, conditionally approve, or issue any building permit, certificate of occupancy, business license, administrative approval, similar-use determination, or other permit, approval, license, or land use entitlement for a covered use.

C. No person or entity shall establish, commence, locate, convert property to, expand, or operate a covered use within the City.

D. No covered use shall be treated as a governmental office, professional office, administrative office, public or quasi-public use, institutional use, emergency facility, transportation use, or other broader use classification for purposes of avoiding this moratorium.

SECTION 4. Limited Exclusions.

This interim urgency ordinance does not apply to: (1) temporary restraint or custody by the Los Altos Police Department incidental to an arrest, investigation, emergency response, transportation, or transfer when the premises are not established or operated as a covered use; (2) a licensed hospital, medical facility, residential care facility, or behavioral health facility that temporarily limits a patient's movement as authorized by law and incidental to care; (3) ordinary supervision by a school, childcare facility, or residential care facility; (4) a judicial or administrative hearing location without a detention or custodial detention facility, holding, intake, or custodial processing component; (5) a general governmental, legal, social-service, or professional office that does not conduct custodial detention, holding, intake, transfer, staging, or processing; or (6) transportation through the City when no person is received, detained, held, processed, staged, transferred, or released at a location within the City.

SECTION 5. Study of Zoning and Land Use Regulations.

The City Manager, or designee, is directed to study and develop options for an appropriate zoning and land use response to covered uses, which may include definitions, use classifications, locational standards, development and operational standards, discretionary review requirements, or a citywide prohibition. Any permanent regulation shall be considered separately in accordance with applicable notice, hearing, and environmental review requirements. No language in this interim urgency ordinance commits the City Council to adopt a particular permanent regulation.

SECTION 6. CEQA.

The City Council finds that adoption of this interim urgency ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), because it can be seen with certainty that the temporary moratorium, which preserves the status quo and does not authorize construction or development, has no possibility of causing a significant effect on the environment.

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ATTACHMENT 1
SECTION 7. Term.

This interim urgency ordinance shall take effect immediately upon adoption pursuant to Government Code Sections 65858(a) and 36937(b) and shall remain in effect for 45 days from the date of adoption, unless repealed or extended by the City Council in accordance with Government Code Section 65858.

SECTION 8. Severability.

If any section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this interim urgency ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unenforceable by the decision of a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences, clauses, phrases, or words of this interim urgency ordinance.

SECTION 9. Publication.

This ordinance shall be published as provided in Government Code Section 36933.

PASSED FOR THE PURPOSE OF PUBLICATION this 22nd day of September 2026, by the following roll call vote:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSENT:

ABSTAIN:
__________________________
Sally Meadows, Mayor

ATTEST:
_________________________
Melissa Thurman, City Clerk

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City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: September 22, 2026
Prepared By: Jon Maginot
Approved By: Gabe Engeland
Subject: Discussion Item - Potential Police Station Redevelopment

COUNCIL PRIORITY AREA
Public Safety
General Government

RECOMMENDATION
Receive a presentation on potential redevelopment of the Police Station and provide direction on the preferred option

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The City Council action authorizing review of the proposed project is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3). Subsequent action taken during the review of any future project will be analyzed separately under CEQA.

FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact of this project will depend on the direction provided by City Council.

PREVIOUS COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
June 10, 2025; June 9, 2026

BACKGROUND
The existing police department building at 1 N. San Antonio Road serves as the headquarters for the Los Altos Police Department. The existing building was constructed in 1968 and consists of approximately 11,000 sq. ft. including an outdoor sallyport. The site also includes two temporary trailers which have functioned as both IT offices and workspace for the police department.

The building has outlived its useful life in its current state. Major repairs and upgrades are needed. In addition, the facility is too small for the City's current needs and does not have capacity to meet future needs. Providing excellent public safety for the community has been adopted as part of the City Council's Strategic Goals. Planning for a new or expanded police facility has been a top priority for the City for a number of years.

ANALYSIS
As part of the FY 2024/25 Capital Improvement and Major Maintenance Plan, the City Council approved a project for a New Police Building Design in the amount of $300,000. The first step of

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the project was to conduct a feasibility study to explore options for remodel or expansion of the existing building and construction of a new facility. The City contracted with Griffin Structures to conduct the feasibility study.

DISCUSSION
The feasibility study explored existing conditions of the facility, current space needs and future potential growth requirements. The study looked at the following four options for the police station:

1. Renovation of the existing building

2. Renovation and expansion of the existing building

3. Renovation of the existing building and construction of a second building

4. Construction of an entirely new building
Early in the process, option 3 was eliminated from consideration as the cost to renovate the current building and to build a second building on site was cost prohibitive. The study moved forward with the remaining three options, with two possibilities each considered for options 2 and 4.

The feasibility study identified a current need for approximately 23,500 sq. ft. of space for the Police Department with an ideal future space of 28,400 sq. ft. The space needs are based on comparison with similar-sized departments and discussions with Los Altos Police staff.

Recommended option
Based on the needs of the police department and the projected costs of each option, staff recommends the City move forward with Option 2, renovation and expansion. Option 1, remodel of the existing building, does not meet the needs of the police department and community.

Option 4, construction of a new building, is the most expensive option and seems to be cost prohibitive.

Staff estimates that Option 2 could remodel and add approximately 12,000 sq. ft. to the existing building for approximately $30 million. These dollars can be budgeted through existing unassigned general fund dollars in the amount of $20 million and financing the remaining $10 million.

At the September 22, 2026 Council meeting, staff will further review the options and potential financing of the project.

ATTACHMENTS
None

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City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: September 22, 2026
Prepared By: Melissa Thurman
Approved By: Gabe Engeland
Subject: Commission Appointments - Appoint Applicants to City Commissions

COUNCIL PRIORITY AREA
General Government

RECOMMENDATION
Appoint members to the following commissions:
• Complete Streets Commission
• Environmental Commission
• Planning Commission

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Not Applicable

FISCAL IMPACT
Not Applicable

PREVIOUS COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
This is an annual item.

BACKGROUND
At the conclusion of the recruitment period, the city received the following number of applications for each commission:
• Complete Streets Commission - Two
• Environmental Commission - Seven*
• Historical Commission - Zero
• Planning Commission - Four
*At the time of packet publication, two applicants have withdrawn their applications from consideration.

During a special meeting of September 22, 2026, the City Council conducted interview sessions with applicants.

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ANALYSIS
Not Applicable

DISCUSSION
The Council may make appointments to the following commissions for the seats listed below:
• Complete Streets Commission - Two full-term, four-year seats • Environmental Commission - Three full-term, four-year seats • Historical Commission - Two full-term, four-year seats • Planning Commission - Two full-term, four-year seats

ATTACHMENTS
None

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City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: September 22, 2026
Prepared By: Melissa Thurman
Approved By: Gabe Engeland
Subject: Agreement Approval - Amendment No. 1 to Legal Services Agreement

COUNCIL PRIORITY AREA
General Government

RECOMMENDATION
Approve Amendment No. 1 to the legal services agreement between the City of Los Altos and Berliner Cohen, LLP Attorneys with an updated flat-rate monthly retainer cost of $21,500 for up to 70 hours of legal services and an hourly rate of $385, both subject to annual CPI increases

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Not applicable.

FISCAL IMPACT
The city shall pay Berliner Cohen, LLP Attorneys a flat-rate retainer in the amount of $21,500 per month for up to 70 hours of basic services. After 70 hours, the City shall pay Berliner Cohen, LLP Attorneys per hour at $385 for the City Attorney, and these charges shall increase annually by CPI.

PREVIOUS COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
• February 11, 2020 - Original agreement was approved by the City Council • March 10, 2026 - City Attorney performance review was held in a City Council Closed Session meeting pursuant to Government Code section 54957(b)(1) • April 14, 2026 - City Attorney performance review was held in a City Council Closed Session meeting pursuant to Government Code section 54957(b)(1)

BACKGROUND

ANALYSIS
The terms of the original agreement with Berliner Cohen, LLP Attorneys, dated February 11, 2020 (Attachment 2), had a monthly retainer in the amount of $18,500, for up to 70 hours of basic services, including litigation. After the retainer, the City pays Berliner Cohen, LLP per hour at $300.

Amendment No. 1 to this agreement has a flat-rate monthly retainer in the amount of $21,500

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for up to 70 hours of service. After 70 hours the City shall pay Berliner Cohen, LLP Attorneys per hour at $385. The amendment also increases the retainer and hourly amount annually by CPI.

DISCUSSION
At the request of the City Council, the City Attorney shall participate in a performance review, which shall not occur more than twice annually. Any amendments made to the original contract, dated February 11, 2020, must be in writing and signed by an authorized representative of both parties.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Attachment 1 - Agreement Amendment 1

2. Attachment 2 - Original Agreement

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ATTACHMENT 1
-1-
4830-5130-0372v1
JH\13552001
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO AGREEMENT

FOR LEGAL SERVICES
This amendment (“Amendment”) to an agreement entitled “Agreement for Legal Services by and between City of Los Altos, a California Municipal Corporation (City and Berliner Cohen, LLP Attorneys, a partnership (BC), dated February 11, 2020, is made and entered into as of September 22, 2026, with reference to the following facts:

RECITALS
WHEREAS, on February 11, 2020, City of Los Altos (City) and Jolie Houston, a partner at BC entered into an agreement entitled “Agreement for Legal Services” (“Agreement”). City and BC shall be referred to as hereinafter Parties; and
WHEREAS, on March 10, 2026, and April 14, 2026, the City Council held duly noticed City Attorney Performance Reviews pursuant to Government Code section 54957(b)(1); and WHEREAS, the Parties desire to amend the Agreement to modify the compensation for Legal Services.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants, conditions and promises hereinafter contained, to be kept and performed by the Parties hereto, City and BC hereby agree that the following section of the aforesaid Agreement is amended to read as follows:

1. Revision to Section 3.0
Section 3.0 “Compensation” shall be deleted and replaced with the following new Section 3.0:
“The City shall pay BC a flat-rate retainer in the amount of $21,500.00 per month for up to 70 hours per month for the Basic Services, as defined in Exhibit A. Hourly billing to apply after 70 hours per month, for litigation, special projects or other services, as further defined herein, would be at an hourly rate of $385 per hour for the City Attorney or a BC Partner and non-Partner attorney, and $150 per hour for paralegals. The Parties agree that on an annual basis beginning July 1, 2026, City Attorney’s hourly rate for Basic Services shall be increased by the United States Consumer Price Index All-Urban Consumers, San Francisco, California, (“CPI”) for the previous twelve months. The CPI shall be adjusted by a three percent (3%) minimum increase, and any other increases shall only be by mutual agreement of the Parties as expressed in writing.” Reimbursable Expenses. Litigation costs and expenses for statutory fees, witness fees, reporters’ per diem and stenographic transcriptions, photocopying, jury fees, electronic research, travel, and the expenses of serving process shall be advanced and billed by BC at actual costs and reimbursed by the City. Expert consultants and witnesses may be retained by BC on terms acceptable to City, approved in advance by email or letter by an authorized City representative, in which case City shall reimburse BC or pay such consultants or experts directly. The City does not pay for time or costs associated with travel time to or from the City for the Basic Services.”

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ATTACHMENT 1
-2-
4830-5130-0372v1
JH\13552001

2. General Provisions to Amendment
A. Except as modified hereby, the terms and provisions of the Agreement shall remain unmodified and in full force and effect.

B. In case of any conflict between any term or provision of this Amendment and any term or provision of the Agreement, the term or provision of this Amendment shall govern.

C. This Amendment shall be deemed to be made in, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of California. In the event suit is brought by either party hereunder, the Parties agree that venue for such action shall be vested in the state courts of California in the County of Santa Clara or in the United States District court in the Northern District of California.

D. This Amendment may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute one agreement.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Amendment has been executed as of the date set forth above.

CITY OF LOS ALTOS:

By: Sally Meadows, Mayor
ATTEST:
____________________
Melissa Thurman, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:

Jolie Houston, City Attorney

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AGREEMENT FOR LEGAL SERVICES
This Agreement ror legal services ('"Agreement"') is made and entered into this 11th clay of rebruary, 2020 ('·Effective Date"), by and between City of Los Altos, a California Municipal Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the "City''), and Berliner Cohen, LLP, Attorneys. a partncrsh ip ("BC"). The City and BC sh al I each be referred to as "Party'' and jointly as "Parties'' in this Agreement.

WITNESSES
WHEREAS, it is the desire or the Parties hereto to enter into this Agreement and establish the terms and conditions for rendition of legal services to the City and the compensation therefor.

NOW, THEREfORE, IT IS MUTUALLY AGREED as follows:

1.0 2.0
Appointment of City Attorney ("City Attorney").

The City hereby retains BC to perform the professional services described herein. The City shall appoint Jolie Houston, a Partner in BC. as City Attorney to serve at the pleasure or the City. BC shall expend its best efforts to carry out the professional services described herein, and faithfully represent the interests of the City during the term of this Agreement.

No change to this appointment shall be made without the written consent or the City signed by an authorized representative of the City.

Attorney's Services and Scope or Work.

Starting on the Effective Date, BC shall be responsible for providing the services set forth in this Agreement as Exhibit '·A" ("Basic Services"), which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference, and any other services or work described in the Agreement. BC will perform any such services ethically, expeditiously and efficiently and within the time frame directed by the City.

3.0 Compensation.
4831-4835-4994v1
JH\27697001
The City shall pay BC a flat-rate retainer in the amount of $18,000 per month for up to 70 hours per month for the Basic Services, as defined in Exhibit A. Hourly billing to apply after 70 hours per month, for litigation, special projects or other services, as further defined herein, would be at an hourly rate of $300 per hour for the City Attorney, a BC Partner or non-Partner attorney, and $150 per hour for paralegals. The Parties agree to review the retainer and hourly rates annually to determine if a change is warranted, including but not limited to a Cost or Living Adjustment.

Reimbursable Expenst:s. Litigation costs and expenses for statutory fees, witness tees, reporters' per diem and stenographic transcriptions, photocopying, jury fees, electronic research, travel, and the expenses of serving process shall be advanced and billed by BC at actual costs and reimbursed by the City. Expert consultants - I -
Attachment 2

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4.0 and witnesses may be retained by BC on terms acceptable lo City, approved in advance by email or letter by an authorized City representative, in which case City shall reimburse BC or pay such consultants or experts directly. The City does not pay for time or costs associated with travel time to or f rom the City for the Basic
Services.

Litigation, Special Projects and Other Legal Services.

4.1 In addition to the Basic Services, BC agrees to provide additional services at the request of the City. These include but are not limited to:

4. I. I Litigation Services for purposes of this provision include, but are not limited to, attending court and administrative proceedings of every type or nature, client conferences, file and report reviews, interviews, legal research, site visits and meetings and discussions with witnesses and experts prior to formal proceedings.

4.1.2 Specia I Projects, as assigned by Council, may include non-routine or complex real estate transactions, non-routine or complex negotiations and agreements, non-routine or complex land use and CEQA matters, sewer related matters paid by the sewer fund, and any other special project matters requested by the City.

4.1.3 Defense litigation for all actions and other proceedings brought against City, its elected officials, appointed oflicers and agents, except for JPA provided defonse for general liability matters.

4.1.4 Prosecution for violations of the Municipal Code, including tiling complaints, and other representation in code enforcement litigation and administrative proceedings, which will be compensated at a predetermined billable rate plus costs customarily charged to cl icnts.

4.1.5 rive (5) hours of pro bono per year to an organization agreed to by the City Council and City Attorney.

4. I .6 Upon receipt of a request, BC shall provide a proposed engagement letter describing the scope of the engagement and estimated cosL. If the request involves services that are outside the expertise or BC or that it cannot undertake because of connicts or any other reason, □C shall recommend that outside counsel be engaged to provide the services and, when permitted by applicable Rules of Professional Conduct, suggest speci tic firms or attorneys for consideration by the City. City Council can require that the selection of an outside counsel on a particular matter be pre-approved by City Council. In cases of unusual significance or complexity, BC may recommend that the City retain other counsel in addition to, or in lieu of BC. In all cases, retention of counsel for litigation or Special Projects shall be at the discretion of the City; however, it is the expectation of the Parties that BC will be engaged when it has the requisite experience, expertise and resources to perform the work, and will manage any such counsel LJnless otherwise directed by Council. 483 l-4835•4994v1
JH\27697001 -2-

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4.2 Litigation by City.

All litigation in which the City is plaintiff shall be initiated only at the direction of the City Council.

4.3 Defense of Litigation.

Unless otherwise determined by the City, □C shall defend all actions and other proceedings brought against the City, its elected officials, appointed ot1ices and agents ("City parties").

4.4 Compensation for Litigation rmd Special Projects.

4.5 5.0
Prior approval hy the City Council is required for Special Projects and litigation as defined in section 4. In any event, except when precluded by a connict of interest, GC shall provide representation until such time as the City has specitically engaged BC or other counsel as directed by the City Council and as necessary to maintain the status quo or prevent the entry of a default or other adverse ruling against the City.

Billings.

The charges for Litigation, Special Project services, Basic Services and any other services are to be billed and paid monthly. With its statement, BC shall provide an accounting of the number of hours billed for legal services. Billing statements will be in a form acceptable to the City Manager or dcsignee. The billings will be reviewed by the City Manager, or designee, and ii' in order. in his/her opinion, approved for payment. Any questions about billings that cannot be mutually resolved between the City Manager and City Attorney shall be referred to the City Council for resolution.

Duties of Citv Attorney.

City Attorney shall provide representation and advice to City as provided in this Agreement, either personally or by assigning and supervising other BC atlorneys or by managing the performance and work of other attorneys who are engaged by the City (unless otherwise directed by the City Council). Any BC attorney assigned as described herein shall be familiar with the City and have the necessary expertise and experience to provide and advise the City on the assigned matters ("BC Attorneys . . ). City Attorney shall review
charges for services rendered by other attorneys to ensure that they are consistent with this Agreement and/or the terms of the specific engagement and otherwise reasonable. City Attorney shall monitor the work or other attorneys to ensure that it is done efficiently and competently and, when appropriate in her judgment, shall adjust charges for work by BC attorneys that does not meet these standards. As used in this paragraph, "other attorneys" shall include BC Attorneys and, unless otherwise directed by the City Council, other firms and attorneys who are retained by the City as provided herein.

City Attorney shall atlend City Council meetings unless prevented by illness or vacation or excused by the Mayor or City Manager, in which case a BC Attorney shall attend. The City Attorney will use best efforts to have the same 13C Attorney attend when she is not 483 f -4835-4994v I
JH\2769700 I -JI I Page 220 of 247

6.0 7.0
available. unless she determines another attorney is better suited to attend a particular meeting.

The OC Attorneys (a) may assist the City Attorney as she directs, and (b) shall perform the duties of the City Attorney whenever she is unavailable clue to illness, vacation or other reason, as approved by the Mayor or City Manager.

Priorities.

If' there are more requests for service than can be accomplished in the time allowed, City Attorney or BC may request the City Manager lo establish priorities as directed by the City Council. Otherwise. City /\ttorney shall respond in a reasonable time to all requests.

Termination.

This Agreement shall continue until terminated. Both Parties understand that BC, without cause, may terminate this Agreement upon 60 days' written notice to the City, and the City, without cause. may terminate this Agreement upon 30 days' wrillen notice to BC. The City shall be required to pay only for approved services rendered and charges incurred before the effective date oftennination and shall not be responsible for services rendered or charges incurred thereafter, unless otherwise authorized by the City. The City can terminate this Agreement for cause immediately upon written notice to BC. Upon termination of this Agreement, DC agrees to provide a wrillen memorandum to the City on the status of all pending matters al the time of the termination, no later than 30 days after the effective elate of the termination, and all files related to City business and lt:gal activities will be returned to the City within thirty days of notice or termination of the Agreement, unless otherwise agreed to by City Council.

8.0 No Assignment.

This Agreement is entered into by the City and l3C and the rights and obligations may not be assigned or delegated by BC to any other attorney without the express written consent of the City Council. This Agreement is not assignable.
9 .0 Insurance.

BC shal I, at its own expense, procure and maintain policies of insurance of the types and in the amounts set forth below, for the duration of this Agreement, including any extensions thereto. and in compliance with the laws of the State of California. The policies shall state that they afford primary coverage. Failure to maintain required insurance at all times shall constitute a default and material breach of this Agreement. In such event, BC shall immediately notify the City and cease all performance under this /\greement until futthcr directed by the City. Upon request by the City. City Attorney shall provide evidence of appropriate general liability, errors and omissions, malpractice insurance, Workers' Compensation insurance, auto insurance and indemnify the City, as needed 483 l-4835-4994v1
JH\27697001 .4.

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General Liability insurance shall be maintained with 1rnn1mum limits or $1,000,000 combined single limits written on an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Comprehensive General Liability ··occurrence" fom, or its equivalent J'or coverage on an occurrence basis.

Premises/Operations and Personal Injury coverage shall be included.

Professional errors and omissions liability insurance shall be maintained with minimum limits of $1,000.000. If a claims-made policy is purdrnsed. a ·'tail"' or at least three years shall be purchased if non-renewed with in three years or completion of' performance or this Agreement. Applicable aggregates must be identified and claims history provided to determine amounts remaining under the aggregate.

The City Manager may modify or waive any of' the specific requirements for the above insurance, except for the policy limits. Any such waiver may include substitute requirements and shall be confirmed by letter.

BC shall comply with the applicable portions or the California Labor Code concerning workers' compensation for injuries on the job.

I 0.0 I ,egal Opinions.

All written opinions requested by the City Council and prepared by City Allorney or BC shall be provided to the City Manager and al I City Council members, unless otherwise directed by the City Council.

11.0 Performance Review.

At the request or the City Council, the City Auorney shall participate in a performance review, which shall not occur more than twice annually.

12.0 Amendments
All amendments to this Agreement must be in writing and signed by authorized representatives or the Parties

13.0 Delegation.

The City Council is authorized to represent the City under this Agreement and may delegate any of its duties, obligations, discretion or authority under this Agreement to its City Manager.

14.0 Conlidentiality and Privileged Communication
Communication between the City and C3C shall be confidential and protected by the Attorney-Client Privilege as provided and deflnecl under applicable laws. Both Parties agree to use best efforts to label all communications with "Confidential''. Failure to do so, however, will not diminish or eliminate the confidentiality of the communication. 483 l-4835-4994vl
JH\2769700 I -5-

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15.0 Governing Law
This Agreement will be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws or the State of California, including but nut limited to any requirements or interpretation related to conf'iclentiality. Venue shall be in the County of Santa Clara.

16.0 Notices
Any notice under this Agreement rnay be delivered by hand, overnight courier, fir st class prepaid
letter or electronic mai I transmission, unless otherwise required by law or directed by Council, and will be deemed to have been received (I) by hand or electronic delivery, at the time the delivery is made to an authorized individual; (2) by overnight courier, on the next City official business day after delivery to the carrier: or (3) by first class mail. two City official business days after mailing.

A II notices should be marked Confidential and provided to the following individuals at the following address or at such other address as provided by the respective Party in writing:

City: Chris Jordan, City Manager
City of' Los Altos
I N. San Antonio Road
Los Altos. CA 94022
BC: Jolie Houston
Berliner Cohen, LLP
10 Almaden Blvd .. I I
th Ploor
San Jose. CA 95113
4831-483S-4994v t
JH\27697001 -6-

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17.0 Indemnilication
BC agrees to indemnify the City, its ofticers, employees. and agents against and will hold and save each of them harmless from, any and al I actions. suits, claims, damages to persons or property, losses, costs, penalties. obligations. errors. omissions. or liabilities that may be asserted or claimed by any person, firm or entity arising out ofor in connection with the work, operations or activities of 8C, its agents, employees, subcontractors or invitees. provided for herein or arising from the acts of omissions of BC hereunder. or arising from BC's performance of or failure to perform any term, provision, covenant, or condition of this Agreement, except to the extent such claims or liabilities arise from the negligence or willful misconduct of the City. its employees, officers or agents.

18.0 Independent Contractor
The relationship established under this Agreement is that of independent contractors and neither Party is an employee, partner, agent or joint venture of or with the other.

19.0 Waiver
A Party's failure to exercise or delay in exercising any of its rights under this Agreement will not constitute a waiver, forfeiture or modification of such rights. A Party's waiver of any right under this Agreement will not constitute a waiver of any other right under this Agreement or of the same right on another occasion, unless so stated. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by the waiving Party.

20.0 Severability
If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable by a body of competent jurisdiction, such provision will be construed limited or, if necessary, severed only to the extent necessary lo eliminate such invalidity or unenforceability.

21.0 Entire Agreement.

This Agreement (as amended f
rom time to time) comprises the entire understanding
between the parties with respect to the su�ject matter contained herein and supersedes any previous and contemporaneous communications, representations, or agreements, including interim agreements. whether written or oral. with respect thereto, provided that any separate confidentiality agreements between the parties will continue unchanged and in full force and effect according to its terms. If there is a conflict between this Agreement and any other written agreements or oral representations by either Party, th is Agreement shal I govern as Lo the subject matter contained herein.
483 l-4835-4994v1
JH\27697001
[Signatures on next page J
-7-

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4831-4835-4994v I
JH\2769700 I -8-

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WITNESSETH:
4631-43J5.4994v1
JH\27697001

BERLINER COHEN, LLP, ATTORNEYS
By:

Jolie Houston, City Attorney
Berliner Cohen LLC, Partner

CITY OF LOS ALTOS
a California Municipal Corporation of the
State of California
By:

Janis C. Pepper, Mayor
-9-

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EXHIBIT A

BASIC SERVICES
13asic Services shall include those generally understood within the field or municipal law to fall within the category of ·'general counsel'' work and shall include, but not nec1::ssarily be limited to. the following. Unless specifically noted below. the City Attorney may rely on other attorneys in his or her firm to provide the legal service. The City Attorney is still ultimately responsible and accountable for such legal services:

1.1 Representation of the Council, committees and commissions and all City oflicials in legal matters of municipal government.

1.2 Attendance by the City Attorney at all regular City Council meetings, including closed sessions. unless excused by Mayor or City Manager. City Attorney is expected to use best efforts to limit any such absences. If excused. the City Attorney's designee should be in attendance and City Attorney will ensure that such a designee is well prepared for the meeting.

1.3 Attendance at special meetings or study sessions by City Attorney or his/her designce, as requested by Mayor or City Manager
I .4 Avai I able to attend a minimum of twelve ( 12) meeting per year of the Planning Commission. as requested by the City Manager or designee.

1.5 Attendance at meetings or other commissions or public forums, as requested by the City Council or City Manager.

1.6 Provide at least 2 training sessions per year to the City Council, Commissions and/or stafT, such as Brown Acl training.

1.7 Consultation with City Manager. City staff, or authorized representatives to provide legal advice on proposed policies and activities that require City Council action.

1.8 Provide legal advice lo Council. Commissions, committees and stafT on legal matters, including but not limited to the Brown Act, California Public Records Act and California Fair Political Practices Commission.

1.9 Advise City Council and City Manager on communications in response to members of the public and press/media

1.10 Preparation/review or all proposed ordinances. resolutions, land use application related documents. contracts, letters, and other documents related lo any action taken or to be taken by the Planning Commission or City Council.

1.11 Provide advice regarding code enforcement matters, including bul not limited to drafting letters and taking other actions in an attempt to obtain pre-litigation/administrative proceedings resolution.
4831-4835-4994vl
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1.12 Available to assist with personnel issues (excluding collective bargaining) in coordination with employment law counsel and with general liability claims and litigation in coordination with JPA legal counsel.

1.13 Keep the Council and City Manager informed of the status of litigation involving City. City Attorney shall submit a quarterly status report brieny outlining the status of each litigation, including code enforcement litigation. This status report shall be submitted between the first and Ii Ileen th or the following months (April, July, October and January). City Atlorney shall also advise the City Council and City Manager of significant developments in litigation involving City as they occur.

1.14 Provide written legal opinions when requested by any three Council members.

1.15 Assist with management of outside legal counsel.

1.16 Consultation with individual City Council members on questions regarding City legal matters as it relates to them as Council members and City business.

1.17 Provide office hours ranging f
rom twelve to twenty-four hours per month at a mutually agreed time and place, as requested by Council Members or City Manager.

1.18 Keep the Council and City Manager informed of any proposed or new legislation or court decisions that may impact the City, including hut not limited to land use, pension reform, and housing and work with staff to ensure the City's local codes and policies are updated to comply with any such decisions or legislation.

1.19 Assist City Council. City Manager and appropriate staff in continuing to identify feasible options toward implementing and achieving the goals, policies and objectives of the City Council.

1.20 Review and approve as to form all City contracts and agreements. 4831-4835-4994vl
JH\2769700 I -1 1-

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, 11 '(.:.c uncil l\linut<.1s
h·lm,ian I. I, �! Pl

Page 4 of 5 ends

Direction: Council directed staff to analyze rhe feasibility anJ aJvisability of installing a 'No Right on Red During School flours' at F.l Monte ,-\venue :ind Cm·ingto11 !toad.

8. F.mergency Preparation Update: Receive repon 011 the City's Cn11111111nity l ·'.mergency Preparednees Program and pro\'ide di.rect.ion to staff as appropriate l...:mergency Prep:m::dm.:ss Coordinator presented the rcporl. No acLio11 taken 011 this item.

9. EOC:/Police Station Statu� Update for F.mergenc)' Operations Center (EOC) & Police Station UuilJing Upgrades: Provide direction to staff
on wh.ich opt.ion the Council wants to pursue for
Police faeiliries
This item was continued to a future meeting.

ITEMS PULLED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR CONTINUED
___.. \lp�wm :ii of .ontr:KI f< ,r Ct() , \uorn�·y ��·1T1n·�. Approve the :igreement for City r\ttorner Lcg;il Services wtth Tkrliner-Cohen T J .C (C. .Jordan)
City Manager Jordan presented the report.
. \c11011: l [!S>ll a motion by Council member Bruin, secomlcJ by Council member 1 �nander, Lhc Council u1\,,11U111uusl� apprm nl Lhe agreement for City .-\ ttorncy Legal Serv ices with Berliner-Cohen I .I .C.

COUNCIL/STAFF REPORTS AND DIRECTIONS ON FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Council asked for an update on Council Chambers remodel. Staff infonne<l Council that it will be prcsemcJ to Council on Februa1)' 25, 2020.

Councilmembcr Enander shared that she attended the Sant;i Clara County r lousing and Community Developmenl t\dvisory Committee.

Vice Mayor Fligor rcporrcd that she attended ;1 meeting of the North County ! .ibrary Authority.

Councilmember Bruins asked for elate for tl1c Joinl Session for the Financial Commission. She further reported she attended the I lousing 2020 Forum on January 29, 2020, a Metropolitan Transportation Commission (M'l'C) workshor on January 30, 2020, a .Joint J\lTC/ 1\ssociatio11 of Bay t\rea Governments workshop on January 31, 2020 and meetings of the CalTrain and Valle)' Transportation Authority on February 6, 2020.

Council.member Lee Eng announced rhe Dog Park \X'orkshops in Los Altos. f\.layor Pepper reported sht· atlcndcu the Cht'f Chu's 50 ann.iversary on l•ebrnary 2, 2020 and a ribbon cutting for Mixx Fitness.

Page 229 of 247 ends

City of Los Altos 2026 Tentative Council Agenda Calendar All items and dates are tentative and subject to change unless a specific date has been noticed for a legally required Public Hearing.

Items may be added or removed from the shown date at any time and for any reason prior to the publication of the agenda.

October 13, 2026
Regular Meeting – 7:00 p.m.

CONSENT:
• Adoption of Resolution – Update of Bi-annual Conflict of Interest Code • Notice of Completion – On-Call Sanitary Sewer Spot Repairs & CCTV FY25/26 DISCUSSION:
• BMR Administrative Guidelines
October 27, 2026
Regular Meeting – 7:00 p.m.

CONSENT:
• Design Contract Award for Structural Reach to Freyer and Laureta DISCUSSION:
• Electric Rebate Update
The remaining 2026 City Council agenda calendar items are pending and will be published at a later date.

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PROGRAM SUB PROJECT INITIATION DATE HEU COMPLETION DATE STATUS Program 2.D: Encourage and streamline Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

Budget & Hire Planning
Technician December 31, 2022 COMPLETED
Program 2.D: Encourage and streamline Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

Amend ADU Ordinance
based upon HCD's letter 6 months or less COMPLETED
Program 6.G: Housing mobility
Allow more than one
JADU (at least two per
site)
with ADU Ordinance
Update COMPLETED
Program 3.H: Amend design review process and
requirements.

Eliminate 3rd Party
Architectural Review February 28, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 3.H: Amend design review process and
requirements.

Dismiss Design Review
Commission February 28, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 3.L: Eliminate the requirement of story poles. March 31, 2023 COMPLETED Program 2.E: Conduct annual ADU rental income surveys.

Budget & Hire Housing
Program 4.J: Facilitate alternate modes of transportation for Manager March 31, 2023 COMPLETED residents.

Adopt VMT Policy &
Transportation Demand June 30, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 2.D: Encourage and streamline Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

RFP-Permit Ready ADU
Plans July 31, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 1.H: Facilitate housing on City-owned sites. Financial Analysis July 1, 2023 December 31, 2023 COMPLETED Program 3.D: Evaluate and adjust impact fees. August 1, 2023 December 31, 2024 COMPLETED Program 1.H: Facilitate housing on City-owned sites. Release RFP December 31, 2023 COMPLETED Program 6.C: Target housing development in highest
resource areas. Initial Outreach September 31, 2023 COMPLETED Program 6.D: Promote Housing Choice (Section 8) rental
assistance program. September 31, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 2.A: Continue to implement and enhance
inclusionary housing requirements. December 31, 2023 ONGOING Program 2.B: Establish an affordable housing in-lieu fee and commercial linkage fee. Housing in-lieu fee. December 31, 2023 COMPLETED Program 2.F: Water and Sewer Service Providers. December 31, 2023 COMPLETED Program 3.B: Modify building height in mixed-use zoning districts. Downtown Districts December 31, 2023 COMPLETED Program 3.E: Ensure that the density bonus ordinance
remains consistent with State law. December 31, 2023 ONGOING

Page 231 of 247 ends

Program 3.H: Amend design review process and
requirements. Code Amendments December 31, 2023 COMPLETED Program 3.K: Standardize multimodal transportation
requirements.

Bicycle Storage and
Charging Regulations December 31, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 3.K: Standardize multimodal transportation
requirements.

Remove CSC Review of
Housing Developments December 31, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 4.C: Allow Low Barrier Navigation Centers
consistent with AB 101. December 31, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 4.D: Allow transitional and supportive housing
consistent with State law. December 31, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 4.E: Allow employee/farmworker housing
consistent with State law. December 31, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 4.F: Reasonably accommodate disabled persons’
housing needs. December 31, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 6.B: Maintain and expand an inventory of affordable housing funding sources. Prepare Inventory. December 31, 2023 COMPLETED Program 6.E: Prepare and distribute anti-displacement
information. December 31, 2023 COMPLETED
Program 1.A: Rezone for RHNA shortfall. January 31, 2024 COMPLETED Program 1.G: Rezone housing sites from previous Housing Elements. January 31, 2024 COMPLETED
Program 3.G: Amend Conditional Use Permits findings
applicable to housing developments. March 31, 2024 COMPLETED Program 3.I: Allow residential care facilities consistent with State law. January 31, 2024 COMPLETED
Program 3.J: Explicitly allow manufactured homes consistent with State law. January 31, 2024 COMPLETED
Program 3.F: Reduce Conditional Use Permit requirement for residential mixed-use and
multi-family. September 31, 2024 COMPLETED
Program 1.B: Facilitate higher density housing in the
Commercial Thoroughfare (CT) District. January 31, 2024 COMPLETED Program 1.C: Allow housing in the Office Administrative (OA) District. January 31, 2024 COMPLETED

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Program 1.E: Update the Loyola Corners Specific Plan. January 31, 2024 COMPLETED Program 2.D: Encourage and streamline Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

Adopt-Permit Ready ADU
Plans December 31, 2024 COMPLETED
Program 3.A: Prepare a Downtown parking plan and update citywide parking requirements. Downtown Parking Plan December 31, 2024 COMPLETED Program 3.A: Prepare a Downtown parking plan and update citywide parking requirements.

Comprehensive Parking
Ordinance Update December 31, 2024 COMPLETED
Program 3.B: Modify building height in mixed-use zoning districts.

Commercial
Neighborhood (CN)
District December 31, 2024 COMPLETED
Program 3.C: Remove floor-to-area ratio (FAR) restriction at Rancho Shopping Center and
Woodland Plaza. December 31, 2024 COMPLETED
Program 3.M: Modify parking requirements for emergency
shelters consistent with State
law. December 31, 2024 COMPLETED
Program 2.B: Establish an affordable housing in-lieu fee and commercial linkage fee. Commercial linkage fee. December 31, 2025 COMPLETED Program 1.D: Allow housing on certain Public and
Community Facilities District sites and
facilitate housing on religious institution properties. December 31, 2025 IN-PROGRESS Program 6.G: Housing mobility
Allow housing on all
religious sites within the
City December 31, 2025 IN-PROGRESS
Program 1.F: Rezone Village Court parcel. December 31, 2025 COMPLETED Program 4.H: Provide additional density bonuses and
incentives for housing that accommodates special needs
groups. December 31, 2025 IN-PROGRESS
Program 4.I: Allow senior housing with extended care
facilities in multi-family and mixed-use zoning districts. December 31, 2025 IN-PROGRESS Program 1.I: Incentivize Downtown lot consolidation. July 31, 2026 Program 4.G: Assist seniors to maintain and rehabilitate their homes. July 31, 2026 ONGOING
Program 6.C: Target housing development in highest
resource areas. Follow-up Outreach September 31, 2026

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Program 1.H: Facilitate housing on City-owned sites. Entitlement Review December 31, 2026 Program 3.N: Modify standards in the R3 zoning districts. December 31, 2026 COMPLETED Program 4.J: Facilitate alternate modes of transportation for residents.

Capital Improvement
Project for above head
pedestrian crossing
signals on San Antonio
Road near Downtown Los
Altos December 31, 2027
Program 5.F: Incentivize the creation of play areas for multifamily housing projects. December 31, 2027 Program 1.K: Participate in regional housing needs planning efforts. Ongoing ONGOING
Program 1.L: General Plan amendments. Ongoing ONGOING
Program 1.M: SB 9 implementation. Ongoing ONGOING
Program 1.N: Facilitate and monitor pipeline housing
projects. Ongoing ONGOING
Program 2.C: Assist in securing funding for affordable
housing projects. Ongoing ONGOING
Program 2.D: Encourage and streamline Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Ongoing ONGOING
Program 2.E: Conduct annual ADU rental income surveys. Annual Survey Annually ONGOING Program 4.A: Support efforts to fund homeless services. Ongoing ONGOING Program 4.B: Continue to participate in local and regional forums for homelessness,
supportive, and transitional housing. Ongoing ONGOING
Program 5.A: Monitor condominium conversions. Ongoing ONGOING Program 5.B: Continue to administer the City’s affordable housing programs. Ongoing ONGOING
Program 5.C: Restrict commercial uses from displacing
residential neighborhoods. Ongoing ONGOING
Program 5.D: Implement voluntary code inspection program. Ongoing ONGOING Program 5.E: Help secure funding for housing rehabilitation and assistance programs. Ongoing ONGOING

Page 234 of 247 ends

Program 6.A: Assist residents with housing discrimination and landlord-tenant
complaints. Ongoing ONGOING
Program 6.B: Maintain and expand an inventory of affordable housing funding sources.

Inform, Evaluate
Apply/Submit Ongoing ONGOING
Program 6.F: Affirmatively market physically accessible units. Ongoing ONGOING Program 7.A: Promote energy and water conservation and
greenhouse gas reduction
through education and awareness campaigns. Ongoing ONGOING Program 7.B: Monitor and implement thresholds and
statutory requirements of climate change legislation. Ongoing ONGOING

Page 235 of 247 ends

DATE: 09/22/2026
TO: COUNCILMEMBERS
FROM: CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE
SUBJECT: COUNCIL Q&A FOR SEPTEMBER 22, 2026 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR

MEETING
Agenda Item 1 (Minutes Regular Meeting):
• Public Comments Not on the Agenda: Laura Fay’s name is listed twice Answer: This has been updated.
• Councilmember Dailey led the Pledge.

Answer: This has been updated.

Agenda Item 2 (Addendum No. 14 to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant Basic Agreement):
• Since this is a LOC rather than traditional funding, how will the City budget for its anticipated share of liabilities. What amounts are placed in the budget? How will we determine in which FY to plan for reimbursement?
Answer: There is no separately identified FY2026-27 appropriation for the City’s share.

The $2.94 million is an estimated Los Altos’ share of the authorized projects, not an amount that is immediately due. Palo Alto will draw on the LOC as project expenditures occur, and Los Altos will be billed based on its proportional share.

The current estimated financing cost for Los Altos is approximately $128,000 annually, but actual costs will depend on the timing and amount of draws. Staff will monitor Palo Alto’s projects’ expenditures and quarterly billing updates and, if financing costs are incurred during FY2026-27, bring forward an appropriate budget adjustment. Future financing costs will be incorporated into subsequent Sewer Fund budgets as costs become known.

The principal is not expected to be repaid during the five-year LOC term. At the end of the term, any outstanding balance may either be repaid or converted to longer-term financing. Staff will incorporate that obligation into the Sewer Fund’s long-range forecast and determine the appropriate funding approach as the maturity date approaches.

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Los Altos City CouncilSeptember 22, 2026

Los Altos City Council
September 22, 2026